The Adventures of Captain Toadette
by StarlitDuck
Summary: A birthday present for one of my Fanfiction friends. Toadette is asked to go on a journey with the Toad Brigade to help track down the eggs of the legendary sandbird.
1. Yearning for Adventure

Chapter 1 Yearning for Adventure

Toadette slowly picked at her food. She had made it herself; macaroni and cheese. She had made this meal a million times, and had eaten it a billion times at least. While it was supposed to be a comfort food, it didn't bring her any comfort. All that it brought her was boredom.

"Hey Toadette!"

Toadette lifted her head and saw her friend, Blue Toad. The bespectacled intellectual had a book tucked under his right arm. While Blue Toad was no stranger to carrying books, what really interested Toadette was the fact that this book was much thinner than the ones that her scholarly friend was used to carrying. In fact, it looked to be about ten pages at the maximum!

"What is that?" Toadette asked. Blue Toad smiled.

"It's a very special book!" He displayed the cover to her. The title read _The Adventures of_ _The Toad Brigade_. Suddenly, the reason why Blue Toad had been carrying it was revealed to the pink capped mushroom girl. She smiled happily.

"Your guys' book finally got published!" she exclaimed. Blue Toad nodded happily.

"Yes it did!" he flipped to the front page. "And I've gotta say, I think it turned out beautifully!"

Toadette looked at the picture book's illustrations. Blue Toad was a member of the Toad Brigade. He went on all sorts of adventures with the other Brigade members; Yellow Toad, Bank Toad, Purple Toad, and Captain Toad. They were known across the Mushroom Kingdom, so much to the point that the Princess had given them all metals of honor. Their adventures were always ones of excitement and wonder, which is the reason why the Brigade had decided to collectivelty work on a book detailing all the adventures they had so far.

"It is beautiful!" Toadette said as she looked at the first illustrations. The illustrator had used water color paints to color in the characters and the backgrounds. Toadette really appreciated this, as the soft colors were soothing to her eyes. They looked so soft that she had a feeling if she touched the page, it would feel like a baby blanket.

"Yeah," Blue Toad said with a sigh. He softly closed the book. "I think that this deserves a spot in the hall of fame!"

The Hall of Fame was Toadette's guest bedroom. At least, it had been Toadette's guest bedroom. After she had become friends with Blue Toad, she had offered to turn it into a room where the Brigade could keep all of their trophies. The room was packed with all sorts of interesting macguffins, from a sword that glowed with purple fire to a fire flower made out of pure platinum.

"I think you're right." Toadette pushed her dinner to the side and followed Blue Toad to the Hall of Fame. When she got there, she opened the door carefully, almost reverently. She walked into the room with the same attitude, as she knew that this stuff was precious. Not only was it of a rare value, but it also held sentimental value among the Brigade members as well.

Blue Toad gently placed the picture book onto a dias in the far left hand corned of the room. He and Toadette stood in silence for a minute. Then, Blue Toad turned to his friend.

"Toadette, there's something I would like to talk to you about."

Toadette turned to Blue Toad. Blue Toad removed his glasses and polished them with a handkerchief.

"Have you ever heard of a sandbird?"

Toadette's eyes grew wide.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I have!" SHe said. "They are supposed to be one of the largest birds in the world."

"They are," Blue Toad said with a nod. "They have wingspans they can stretch up to a mile long, and that's when they are a baby." Blue Toad put his glasses back on. "But not only are they large, they are also rare. They are on the endangered species list."

"They are?" asked Toadette.

"They are indeed," said Blue Toad. "There are only twenty left."

Toadette's jaw dropped. Twenty left? In existence?

"That's awful!" Toadette said.

"It is," Blue Toad said. He then smiled. "Which is why the brigade is going to take action."

Toadette felt confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there have been reports of a sandbird sighting in World 2. Now, this part is just a rumor, but they are people who say that sandbird has laid eggs. Now, the Brigade wants to find the eggs so that we can build a sanctuary for them. That way, they can be protected from their natural predators."

Toadette felt curious.

"What are their natural predators, exactly?" she asked.

Blue Toad hesitated for just a second.

"Dragons."

"Dragons!?" asked Toadette.

"Yes; dragons," said Blue Toad. Toadette looked at her friend in concern.

"That sounds dangerous."

"It is. That's why I decided with the rest of the Brigade that we can't do this on our own. We need help, preferably from someone who is a very good friend."

Toadette's eyes grew wider than coconuts.

"You mean...me?"

Blue Toad smiled.

"You always said you wanted to go on an adventure with us."

Toadette squealed in delight.

"Oh thank you, Blue! Thank you so much!"

**AN: Happy birthday PinkRose0106! I hope you are enjoying your present so far.**


	2. The Brigade

Chapter 2 The Brigade

Blue Toad lead Toadette into his cottage. Or to be more accurate, the Toad Brigade's cottage. The members of the Toad Brigade were not just coworkers, they were best friends. Toadette smiled when she saw Captain Toad sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.

"Ahoy, Captain!" Toadette said. Captain Toad glared at her.

"Toadette, how many times do I have to tell you? **I am not a pirate!"**

Toadette laughed sillily. Blue Toad just sighed and shook his head.

"Way to greet our newest brigade member, Captain," he said.

The eyes of the captain grew wide and shiny. He stood up, causing his popcorn to scatter all over the floor when the bowl fell off of his lap.

"She...you agreed to go with us?" Captain Toad asked Toadette. Toadette nodded cheerfully.

"Yep. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to go on one of your adventures!"

Captain Toad beamed and did a victory fist pump. Blue Toad adjusted his glasses and gave Toadette a smile. The mood of the captain was known to shift on a whim. While people often wondered how a person like that could lead an expedition, the expertise Captain Toad had of the different locations they visited and his love for adventure more than made up for it.

"So," Blue Toad said as he turned back toward the Captain. "Where is everyone else? I want to share the news with them."

The captain was just about to speak up when a crash resounded out of the kitchen. The captain gasped in fright.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" he shrieked. Toadette giggled; he sounded like a girl. Blue Toad patted him on the back to console him.

"Calm down," he said. He spoke with the same gentleness that a mother would address her baby with. "Let's go to the kitchen."

The captain nodded with fear in his eyes. Together, the three of them slowly made their way into the next room. When they got there they could see Purple "Mail" Toad leaning over a large glass bowl. He was using a wooden spoon to stir the sticky batter. There was a huge pile of glass resting beside the step stool. Blue Toad sighed.

"Mail?"

Mail Toad turned and smiled. His face was covered in flour.

"Hey Blue. Hey Toadette."

"Mail, what are you doing?" Toadette asked. Mail laughed.

"I'm making a cake! From scratch!"

Blue Toad snickered.

"Oh really? Cause to me it looks like you are making a mess from scratch."

Mail wiped the sweat off his brow, causing the white powder to get all over the front of his arm as well.

"Well, I didn't say I was making a good cake." He stepped down from the stool and wiped his face with a dishcloth. "I just said I was making a cake."

Toadette laughed. Mail Toad was probably the most gutsy of the Brigade. He always seemed to jump into things without thinking ahead first. This made him the most useful member of the Brigade as well as the weakest link.

"Anyway," the Captain said, his shock gone. "Toadette is going with us to find the sand bird eggs."

"Sweet!" Mail exclaimed. "Bank and Yellow will be so pleased!"

As if on cue, Toadette and the others could hear the door in the entryway opening. The went over and saw Green "Bank" Toad and Yellow Toad, each with an armful of groceries in their hands.

"Hi guys!" Yellow exclaimed. He giggled giddly. "It is so nice to see you."

Toadette smiled. She particularly liked Yellow; he seemed to be the most innocent of the group. He went on adventures just for the fun of it. This was a baffling contrast to his twin brother, Bank. Bank was extremely greedy, and only seemed to appreciate the adventures he went on because of the monetary gain. Toadette disliked him most of all, as he had a grumpy attitude on top of that.

"It's nice that you guys are back," Captain said. "Toadette will be accompanying us on our journey tomorrow."

"Really!" Yellow squealed as he dropped his bags to the floor. "That is awesome!"

"Yeah. Fantastic," Bank said less than ethusiastically. Captain grinned.

"So now that we have Toadette's stamp of approval," he said, "we can head out tomorrow!"


	3. Freezing Flowers

Chapter 3 Freezing Flowers

"And we're off!" Captain Toad announced at the top of his voice. Toadette was practically jumping up and down in excitement. She was going on an adventure! An honest to goodness adventure! Not only that, but she was about to embark on that adventure with the honest to goodness Toad Brigade. She was so high up on Cloud Nine she felt like she would never come back down.

"Where are we heading off to, Captain?" Mail asked. Captain turned to the others, his eyes glowing with excitement.

"Well, the sandbird was spotted near Duneshine," he began.

"Duneshine?" asked Yellow.

"That's right in the central region of World 2!" Blue proclaimed. "We'll have to pass through the Mirage Territory in order to get there."

"Pfft," Captain said with a wave of the hand. "That's no big deal."

"We'll also be in danger of bandits!" said Bank with fury in his eyes. "And before all of that, we'll have to pass through the Sweltering Dunes!"

Suddenly, the confidence that Captain had been displaying was replaced by fear.

"The...the sweltering dunes?" he asked in alarm.

"Yeah!" Bank yelled angrily. "That's where Brighton the angry sun lives. Didn't you know that?"

Captain Toad nodded apprehensively.

"Y...yes, I did..."

"Then why are we going out into World 2 to begin with!?" Bank shouted. "Do you want us to get roasted alive?"

Toadette felt a pit form in her stomach. She did not want to see her friends fight; not on the first day of their adventure. So, swallowing a particularly large lump in her throat, Toadette stepped forward.

"I don't think we will have much trouble with the angry sun," she said. "If we are prepared, that is."

Bank turned to her, direct his most viscous glare directly into her eyes.

"And how the World Eight are you supposed to prepare to fight against THE SUN!?"

"That's easy; with sun block." Toadette reached into her bag and pulled out 30 FPS sun screen. "If we put this on, we will be just fine."

"Uhh, actually," Mail said as he stepped forward. "I can't wear that. I'm allergic."

Toadette considered this.

"Okay..." she said slowly. "Well then we'll just have to equip you with something else."

Bank snickered.

"Like what, genius?"

Toadette cast a glare at him, one not to different than the one he had been casting her. Then she turned to Blue.

"Blue, what do you think about an ice flower? Do you think that would do the job?"

"Hmm," Blue said thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose it would. But we would need to store it in sub freezing temperatures. Other wise, it would lose its power pretty swiftly."

"Sub freezing temperatures?" Yellow asked in worry. "But we'll be in the desert! How can you store an ice flower in sub freezing temperatures in the desert?"

Blue Toad smiled.

"I'll be right back," he said. He ducked back into the toad house. While he was gone, Bank couldn't help but shoot venomous flares around the group. While the looks made Toadette peeved, Yellow didn't mind. In fact, he was humming a little tune to himself, completely oblivious to his tywin's death stares. Toadette couldn't help but smile at this. Yellow was someone who marched to the beat of his drum. Toadette loved him for that, especially when she compared him to his less than likeable brother.

"I am so tired of waiting," Mail spoke up. "It feels like he's been gone forever!"

"Mail, he's only be gone for two minutes," Toadette said.

"I know," Mail said. He sighed and started rapidly tapping his foot. "I just want to get their already. The sand birds need our help!"

No one in the group could deny that they were worried about that. Even Bank was concerned about the sand birds. They were creatures that he would often use the word "majestic" to describe.

"You're right," Bank said. He then went up to the door and yelled into the house. "Blue, can you hurry up? We aren't getting any younger!"

Almost immediately, Blue came out. Immediately the others could see what was taking him so long. He was lugging a cooler behind him, a cooler that looked so much heavier than it had any right to be.

"Sorry I took so long," Blue said as he tried to regain his breath. "But I believe that this could be a good place to store the ice flowers."

The Captain nodded.

"Yes," he agreed. "It does appear that way. We could also store water in there."

"Well, that sounds like a great solution, but who's gonna carry it?" Bank asked.

"I will!" Yellow said. "I have been working out after all.".

Captain nodded with approval. All fear he had displaying had been replaced by confidence.

"Okay, offer World 2!" he declared.


	4. The Sweltering Sun

Chapter 4 The Sweltering Sun

To say that World 2 was hot would be the biggest understatement to ever escape a person's mouth. This was because World 2 wasn't just hot; it was _boiling_. The heat was so intense that Toadette felt like she was right in the middle of an oven, being baked like a loaf of bread. The other Toads weren't faring much better.

"Captain, I am so hot," Bank complained.

"Me too," said Mail. "Can't we stop for like two minutes?"

Captain sighed, sweat beads sliding down his now salmon colored face.

"I don't think stopping right in the middle of the desert is a good idea," he said. "If we're going to stop, I suggest that we do it near an oasis.

Bank groaned so loudly it was like he had an orchestra in his mouth.

"But we're right in the middle of nowhere! The closest thing that this place has to an oasis is just a bunch of mirages!"

While Toadette was getting a little fed up with Bank's attitude, she had to admit that he was right. The desert was a jokester of a location, as it reveled in driving those who visited it crazy with visions of non-existent lakes. At this point, Toadette had run after so many mirages that her feet ached.

"That is not true," Blue Toad objected. He pulled a map out of the satchel he had at his side. "According to the map, there is a mirage less than half a mile away from here."

"Really?" Toadette exclaimed in excitement.

"Mmhm," Blue said with a nod. Yellow started to jump up and down in excitement, completely forgetting that he was being cooked alive.

"That's awesome!" he said.

"Yeah," said Toadette. "All that we have to do now is walk that distance and we'll be all set."

The Toad Brigade nodded in agreement. Now that they actually had a goal in mind, the heat became all the more tolerable. Toadette, Yellow, and Mail each walked with an extra spring in their step, and Toadette couldn't help but notice that Bank held an expression of warm relief.

"Look! There it is!" Blue exclaimed after about ten minutes of walking.

And there it was. The green of the palms trees stuck out in the best way possible against the tan colored sand. The water was barely visible from this far away, but nevertheless its presence was so welcoming that the Brigade could practically smell it.

"Well then what are we waiting for!" Toadette said to the rest of the Brigade. "Let's go!"

The members of the Brigade broke out into a run. They did not stop until they got to the edge of the oasis. The water looked beautiful underneath the sunlight, as it was shining and twinkling like the night sky. The members of the Brigade all dropped their bags and lapped up the water. It was warm, but still refreshing.

"Ah," said Mail once he had finished. He wiped his damp lips with his right arm. "That hit the spot."

The others nodded in agreement. Then Mail put on a mischievous grin.

"CANNONBALL!" He shouted. He jumped into the water, causing a humongous wave to crash onto the Brigade members. The water felt nice and relaxing against Toadette's scorched skin. She laughed along with the other members of the brigade as Mail paddled like a puppy in the water.

"HEY! YOU GOT ME ALL WET!"

The roads turned around to see Brighton the angry sun. He was gritting his teeth into a furious glare, and steam was escaping from his glowing, celestial body.

"YOU DOLTS ARE SO GOING TO PAY!"


	5. Fire Snakes

Chapter 5 Fire Snakes

Toadette would have stared at the angry sun in terror, but she couldn't because...well, it was _the sun_. Unfortunately, she couldn't really look away either, as she was too terrified to move. Thankfully, Bank wasn't. Bank stepped forward with an angry glare on his face.

"Listen up, you overheated gas ball," Bank said. "We have been combing the desert for the past five hours without any water. So, I think that we are more than allowed to use this oasis."

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Brighton screamed. "ALL YOU WOULD DO IS SOAK ME AGAIN!"

"You're the sun!" Bank exclaimed. "It's not that big a deal!"

Brighton just growled.

"Oh, you guys are going to pay for insulting me like that!"

The light around Brighton increased a hundred fold. On top of that, it also got a million degrees warmer. If Toadette didn't feel like she was being cooked alive before, she definitely felt that way now. She closed her eyes, but even then her eyelids weren't thick enough to block out all of the light.

"Everyone, run!" Captain yelled.

Toadette didn't need to be told twice. She, along with the rest of the Brigade, turned and started to run away from the angry sun. Toadette could hear Brighton let out a low, lion like growl.

"You jerks aren't gonna get away that easily!" he said.

The light that Brighton had been projecting instantly died, much to Toadette's relief. However, when she opened her eyes, she let out a yelp. Right in front of her was a fire snake, one of the biggest ones Toadette had ever seen. It was about twenty feet in length, and its fire was shifting colors from purple to blue to yellow and orange. The angry sun cackled.

"Try getting your way past that!" he said nastily.

Toadette looked over at Captain, who looked to be on the brink of tears. Bank, despite the tough attitude he showed on the exterior, was also shaking in his boots. Yellow and Mail clung to each other in peril. Blue, however, appeared to be contemplating the situation.

"We need something cold," Blue muttered to himself. "Preferably something that is cold enough to extinguish the flame of the fire snake."

Suddenly, Toadette remembered the ice flowers that the Brigade had brought along with them.

"Blue, where is the cooler?" she asked.

"The cooler?" he said. "Umm...I believe that we left it back at the oasis."

Toadette didn't need to be told anything else. She turned and started heading back to the oasis.

"Toadette, be careful!" Captain called out to her in a panicked tone.

The fear in Captain's voice was so strong that it almost caused Toadette to stop. Nevertheless, she kept going, for she knew that was not an option. The ice flowers were the only way that they had any chance of confronting Brighton and his fire snakes. When Brighton saw Toadette running back in his direction, he let out am=n overconfident laugh.

"Wow!" he sneered. "You guys seriously make this way too easy." With that, the angry sun. Shot out more fire snakes toward Toadette. Thankfully she managed to dodge. However, she could see how powerful the heat of the snakes were. The sand was practically sizzling when the touched the ground, and when they bounced they left black singemarks where they had previously stood. Toadette gulped.

"Give up, you fungus failures!" Brighton cackled inanely. "You are no match for the awesome might of the sun!"

Toadette finally reached the cooler. When she opened it up, she could hear Brighton's sinister laughing come to an abrupt halt.

"Wait, what are you doing?" he asked.

Toadette smiled.

"We might not be able to withstand the heat of the sun. But can you withstand the freeze of an ice flower?"

Toadette displayed the ice flower to Brighton, who looked frightened.

"No! You...you can't do this!"

"I can!" With that, Toadette swallowed the icy power up. Once her mushroom capped head had changed color from pink to blue, she started to throw ice balls at the various fire snakes. The ice extinguished all of them pretty much immediately, including the big rainbow colored one. Once she finished, Toadette turned back to Brighton.

"Now it's your turn," she said. She prepared to throw an ice ball at Brighton, but before she could he spoke out in terror.

"Please, don't do this!"

Toadette lowered her hand. She had never seen someone look so scared.

"Alright. I'll let you go," she said. "Just try to stay out of our stratosphere, alright?"

Brighton grinned appreciatively.

"Oh, thank you," he said. With that he flew back up into space. The Toad Brigade cheered, and Toadette felt her cheeks go warm as she blushed.


	6. No Town In Sight

Chapter 6 No Town In Sight

After dealing with Brighton the angry sun, Toadwtte and the Toad Brigade continued the rest of their journey cheerfully. The positivity even seemed to have a comforting effect on Bank, as he was smiling. It was not noticeable at first glance as he wasn't displaying any of his teeth, but there was no doubt that he _was_ smiling. Toadette enjoyed seeing this side of him; it made her own happiness increase. Toadette approached the green capped toad.

"What is it?" Bank asked, the tiny grin still decorating his face.

"Nothing," Toadette said. "I've just never seen you smile before."

Bank snorted back a laugh.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," he said. "The only reason I'm doing it right now is because of how awesome you acted against the sun."

Toadette gasped.

"You thought I was awesome?" she asked. Bank nodded.

"Mmhm. You made that angry gas ball shake in his nonexistent boots. I think that is a real display of bravery."

Toadette felt her heart melt. She had never been called brave before. She hadn't even thought that what she did was brave, she just thought it was the right thing to do.

"Thanks, Bank,," she said with a flashy smile. "That's really sweet."

Bank blushed with a vermillion skin tone. He then cleared his throat.

"Right." The smile fell from his face, and he turned to Blue. "Hey, Egghead, how much longer until we reach Duneshine?"

Blue burrowed his nose deeper into the folds of the dusty map.

"Well, according to the map," Blue said, "we should be just about there."

Toadette looked around. What? Was Blue joking? There was nothing here! Nothing but sandy dunes, being blown by a dry, western wind. Everyone else looked at Blue in confusion.

"Blue, there's nothing here," said Captain.

"Yeah," said Mail. He snatched the map out of Blue's hands and examined it, turning it upside down to look at it from a different viewpoint. "Are you sure this map isn't out of date or something?"

Blue shook his head as he snatched the map back.

"Duneshine has to be here!" he said. "It...it just has to be!"

Toadette wiped the sweat off her brow. If they couldn't find Duneshine, then how could they expect themselves to find the sand bird eggs? They needed to get directions from the locals, after all.

"Captain, do you think we should keep searching?" Toadette asked.

Captain considered this. His salmon colored face had no turned a musty maroon. His lips were so chapped that no amount of cheap chapstick could save them. Captain seemed to be aware of his appearance as well, because he had a look of worry and defeat on his face.

"I don't know," he said miserably. He dropped his backpack on the dusty dunes and got into a kneeling position. "We've been searching for hours." Captain sighed. "Maybe we should just give up and go back."

Toadette felt her heart break. They had to find the town. The sand birds were counting on them.

"No, we can't give up!" Toadette said with determination. "We have to keep going!"

"But Toadette," Yellow whimpered. "We can't! We ran out of water an hour ago."

"Yeah," said Bank. "We can't keep going like this."

Toadette turned toward Bank. If she wasn't so exhausted from the heat, she would have slapped him in defiance.

"But Bank..."

"Toadette," Bank said sternly. "Look, I know you're worried about the sand birds, we all are. But if we keep going on aimlessly like this, then we'll all die of heat stroke. I say we go back to the oasis and figure out a plan there. Does that sound like a good plan?"

Toadette considered this. As much as she hated to admit it, Bank was right. She nodded as she looked into his sun kissed face.

"Okay," she said. Bank smiled, the same smile he was wearing earlier.

"Good," he said. He walked over to Captain and hoisted him to his feet. "Lead the way, Captain."

Captain smiled.

"Thanks, Bank. Okay everyone, march forward!"

The Brigade started to go back the way that they had come. Toadette, who was travelling at the back of the pack, carried the cooler. It was easy to let the container trail behind her on the soft ground. However, the ease of the task did not bring any ease to her mind. They had to find Duneshine; they just had to!

"Hey," Yellow called out from the front of the pack. "What's that?"

Toadette looked forward and squinted at the figure up ahead. It looked like a road wrapped in a black turban.

"Hey!" Mail said happily. "Maybe he can tell us where Duneshine is!"

Toadette didn't even need to wait to hear the rest of the sentence. She eagerly rushed toward the turbaned Toad.

"Excuse me, sir," Toadette said. "Do you by any chance happen to know where Duneshine is?"

The toad smiled.

"Ah, you wish to find Duneshine." He chuckled and gestured for Toadette to follow him.


	7. In Plain Sight

Chapter 7 In Plain Sight

The toad in the turban had a mysterious air about him, that much was being made very clear to Toadette and the rest of the Brigade. For one thing, he spoke very little. Whenever Toadette or Bank questioned him about Duneshine, he would just smile and say "all in good time." It made Toadette a little frustrated, and it made Bank very angry. As for the rest of the brigade, they seemed to be on the border of confused and annoyed.

"I hope this clown actually knows what he is doing," Bank whispered to Toadette. "I don't want to spend the rest of my miserable life going on a wild goose chase."

Toadette didn't either, especially seeing that the wild goose chase that they had already embarked on left her skin sizzling in the sun. As a matter of fact, her skin was so burned that she could be served as some sort of meal in a steakhouse and no one would complain!

"We're almost at Duneshine," the Toad in the turban announced to the group. Captain breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness," he said. "We really appreciate what you are doing for us, kind sir."

The toad in the turban smiled, displaying teeth that were more blindingly white than the snow of World 3.

"Many people have went on quests to find the elusive Duneshine," the turbaned toad said. "But very few have found it. It's a shame really, because Duneshine is a town that welcomes visitors with open arms."

Bank scoffed.

"Well, I would sure hope so," he said.

The toad in the turban chuckled as he shook his head. After a few more minutes of walking, he came to a halt.

"Okay," he said. "This is the site."

Toadette looked and felt immensely confused. There was nothing there except empty dunes.

"Hey," Yellow said. "There's nothing here!"

"Yeah," said Mail. "As a matter of fact, I think that this is the same place we were at less than half an hour ago!"

Bank glared at the turbaned Toad angrily.

"Is this some kind of joke?" he asked. "Do you think that we are stupid?"

The toad in the turban just smiled mysteriously.

"One thing that people must learn, I say with a sigh, is that somethings are more than meets the eye."

"Oh, now you're taunting us with rhyming?" Bank asked. He scoffed harder than he had ever scoffed before. "You know what? I've wasted enough time here; I'm going home."

Bank turned on his heel and started to walk away. Toadette would have called out for him if it weren't for the fact that she was also frustrated beyond belief. In fact, she was just about to head after Bank when the Toad started chanting in a mysterious language. The Toad Brigade was now extremely confused, baffled even.

"Blue," Captain said, "what language is that, exactly?"

"I'm not sure," Blue said while adjusting his glasses. "It sounds like a combination of Latin and Spanish."

Toadette watched the turbaned toad in awe. As he chanted, he waved his arms around in elegant ways. It was almost as if he was a wizard casting a world altering spell. In fact, that might have been the case, because when he was done chanting, the landscape around the Toad Brigade started to rumble and quake. The sand started to change colors, the wind started to smell pleasing. Toadette had no idea what was going on. Just before she could question the turbaned Toad though, obelisks and other man-made structures started to rise from the dusty dunes. Toadette watched in awe as they reached toward the sky. It was like she was watching plants grow in a sped up movie.

Finally, the structures stopped rising, and the Toad Brigade stared at them. They were more beautiful than a rainbow, and just as colorful. Toadette felt like she had found a treasure that was beyond compare, a treasure that no one has ever found before.

"Woah," the Toad Brigade said in unison.

The toad in the turban smiled joyfully

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he said as he flourished his velvert covered arms. "Welcome to Duneshine."


	8. Duneshine

Chapter 8 Duneshine

"Woah!" Toadette said as she stared at the town of Duneshine. It was like a location she would encounter in a dream. The colors were pearly and opalescent, the buildings seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. What's more, when she actually entered the town, Toadette felt a woosh of cold air. It was like the entire village had installed a high-tech air conditioner.

"Duneshine is enchanted," the Toad in the turban said to the Brigade. "The spells on it were put in place to keep the its citizens free from the ever present heat of the sun."

"Fascinating!" Blue exclaimed. His bespectacled eyes roamed over the town like he had just come across the lost city of Atlantis. "I never imagined such powerful enchantments could be placed on an entire town."

"The can indeed, my friend," said the turbaned Toad. "Whats more, the enchantments serve multiple purposes. Not only does it keep the town's structures from falling into disrepair, but it also keeps the citizens free from death."

Woah! So the town's people were immortal? That was amazing! Toadette wasn't even aware that was possible!

"Woah, guys!" Yellow called out from behind the group. "Come look at this!"

The Toad Brigade turned toward Yellow and saw that he was standing right in front of a stall. Resting on that stall were some of the most scrumptious looking cakes Toadette had ever seen. They were laced with purple frosting, and on the top were designs of white roses made with creamy icing. The smell produced by these cakes was also exquisite. It brought Toadette back to the days when she was a little girl.

"These look incredible!" Toadette said to the rest of the gang. The toad who operated the stand smiled jubilantly at them.

"Why don't you take it?" she said.

"Okay!" the Captain said. "How much do they cost?"

The toad vendor laughed, the sound spreading all across the town.

"The don't cost anything!" she said. "They are completely free."

"Free?" asked Bank. "You'd be willing to give your cakes away to strangers for free?"

"Of course," the toad vendor replied. "You guys clearly need food much more than I do. Besides, I am living a very comfortable life; I don't need any extra money."

The Toads all thanked the vendor as they put the gorgeous cake into a box. The toad in the turban led the way as he explained the ins and outs of the town.

"Duneshine is a place that many people consider to be a paradise," he said. "The citizens live completely free of the burdens of monetary gain. Most of them don't even know the definistion of the word 'currency.'"

"What?" Bank asked in shock. "That's crazy? How can you live without money?"

Toadette snickered.

"Of course you would say that," Toadette said. "Your white blood cells are shaped like golden coins!"

Bank glared at Toadette, unamused by the joke.

"That sure is an intriguing way to live," said Blue. "Not having to worry about monetary gain would certainly take a big weight of off people's chests."

"Yeah!" Yellow said with a giggle. "Plus on top of that, you get to be immortal! Oh man, I would absolutely love to live here!"

The turbaned Toad laughed.

"While I don't think it is possible for you to move here, it is certainly possible for you to stay here for a while." The turbaned toad pointed ahead. "That over there is the Golden Oasis. It is the best hotel in all of World 2."

"I've heard of it!" Blue said. "It is supposed to be a rejuvinating experience for all who stay."

"It is," the turbaned toad said. "It is very welcoming to people who have been combing the desert in search of Duneshine."

The turbaned toad respectfully entered the hotel, almost as if he were entering a religious establishment. This was odd to Toadette, as the hotel seemed to be rustling and bustling with life. People of all sorts of different species were chatting at the tables, and the staff were smiling as they helped out the guests. Mail gawked at the establishment.

"Look at all these people!" he said. "It's like a party going on in here."

Almost as if on cue, a song that could only be described as "groovy" started to ring about the hotel. Many of the guest got up and started to dance. Mail looked extremely excited to see this.

"Oh yeah, baby!" he cried. Right before he could join the crowd, Toadette put her hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," she said. "Should we really be dancing? I mean, what would Captain say?"

Mail was just about to respond when both of them saw Captain strap off his backpack and jump onto the dancefloor. Mail grinned and Toadette.

"Something tells me he wouldn't mind!"

With that, Mail joined Captain and started to dance. Toadette shook her head as she went up to the front desk with the rest of the party. When she saw the person operating the front desk, she gawked in astonishment.

"Wait a second. That's a dragon koopa!"

It was indeed a dragon koopa. Dragon koppas were regarded as mean and viscious by the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. However, this dragon koopa looked extremely friendly and happy to be alive.

"Hello," he said to the Brigade with a surprisingly beautiful smile. "How may I help you?"

"These lovely toads would like to stay in the hotel for a little bit," said the turbaned toad. The dragon koopa's smile grew even brighter.

"Excellent!" He reached behind and grabbed three different keys. "Enjoy your stay in the hotel! Oh, and don't forget to visit our luxury hotsprings!"

The dragon koopa pulled out a brocheure and handed it to Blue.

"Thank you very much, kind sir," Blue said. He started to head up the stairs that were just behind the front desk. As she did, Toadette decided to be friendly to the dragon koopa.

"Yes, thank you," she said shyly. The koopa nodded is head at her as she left the room.

When she got up the stairs, she stared in astonishment at the place. Even the hallways were bright and elegant! Blue handed her a key.

"I'll share a room with Mail and Captain," Blue said, "and Bank and Yellow will sleep together. You, Toadette, will get a room all to yourself."

"Sweet!" said Toadette as she took the key. The toad in the turbaned smiled at the toad Brigade.

"This is where I bid you all farewell," he said. "I wish you luck in your adventure."

The turbaned toad turned and headed away. After watching him go, Toadette used the key to enter her room. The bed looked so fuzzy and comfortable that she didn't even care that it was still the middle of the day. She just crashed on the bed and went to sleep.


	9. Sun Soaked Sanctuary

Chapter 9 Sun Soaked Sanctuary

Toadette awoke to sunlight filtering in through her window. Now, considering what she had gone through the day before, one would think that she would be repulsed by the idea of being hit by sunlight. But...there was something odd. The light coming in through her window actually felt refreshing. It felt welcoming, gentle. It wasn't biting her skin, it was playfully washing over it.

Speaking of her skin, Toadette was in shock to see that it was not red and cracked anymore. It was smooth and creamy white; the same texture and color that it had been before she trekked on her journey. Toadette placed her left finger on her right arm, and smiled. She had never been this happy to feel her own skin.

"Breakfast!"

Toadette glanced upward and saw a goomba handmaiden (can you call it a handmaiden if it doesn't have hands?) balancing a tray of delectable looking food upon her head. She sat the tray down on Toadette's bedside table.

"I hope you enjoy," she said. Toadette was just about to thank the goomba, but she left the room. Toadette decided that she might as well get started on her breakfast. The pancakes were fluffier than clouds, the pineapple on the side was chopped into perfect, golden rings. The syrup looked like ambrosia that the gods would merrily drink, and the orange juice had the perfect amount of pulp to be enjoyable.

Once Toadette was done with her satisfyingly scrumptious meal, she got up and looked out the window. She could see the citizens of Duneshine bustling about; greeting each other as they crossed in the streets. Toadette was thoroughly in awe at the way this town functioned, and how happy its citizens were.

"Excuse me, Miss Toadette?"

Toadette turned and saw the dragon koopa who had been operating the front desk standing in front of her door.

"I apologize; I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

"No, no, it's okay," Toadette said. "I wasn't really doing much; just waking up."

The dragon koopa smiled.

"Did you enjoy your rest?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, very much so." Toadette looked down at her arm, now smoother than the skin of a newborn baby. "It really seemed to help me."

"I had a feeling it would," the dragon koopa said. "The rests in the Golden Oasis always help travelers. Anyway, I came to inform you that the Toad Brigade has decided to go to the hotsprings, if you want to join them."

Toadette smiled at the dragon koopa.

"Tell them I'll be down in a minute."

...

Toadette walked out into the golden sunshine, wearing a pink, one piece bathing suit that had been provide for her by the hotel staff. The hotsprings water glimmered in the sunshine, and she was not at all surprised to see Yellow and Mail spalshing each other with the water. Captain, Blue, and Bank were dipping their feet into the water as they sat around the edge of the spring. Toadette noticed that their skin was in the same condition that hers was in.

"Hey, guys!" she called out.

Mail and Yellow smiled at her.

"Hey there, Toadette!" they called to her. Mail sent a wave of water in Toadette's direction, and she shrieked with delight when she got drenched.

"Mail!" Blue said. "That is no way to treat a lady!"

"Oh, sorry," Mail said with a blush. Toadette giggled as she took a seat between Blue and Bank.

"Well," Captain said once Toadette was seated. "I have to say, I think that this trip turned out better than we were expecting. Especially Bank."

"Hey!" Bank said as he glared at the Captain. Captain giggled.

"Oh, come on!" he said. "You can't deny that you were expecting the worst."

"I was not expecting the worst!" Bank protested. Then he murmured under his breath: "I was expecting disaster."

Toadette giggled before she saw that the Dragon Koopa was approaching them.

"So," he said. "You guys enjoying your stay at the Golden Oasis?"

"More than anything!" Blue said. "But unfortunately, I do not think we will be able to stay."

The dragon koopa looked genuinely disappointed.

"Oh," he said with a sad tone. "May I ask why?"

"It's because we are on an important mission," said Captain.

"Yeah," Toadette said. "We are on a search for the eggs of the legendary sandbird!"

The Dragon Koopa's eyes grew wide with wonder and excitement.

"The sandbird eggs?" he asked. He beamed. "You know, I actually know where they are!"

"Really?" Mail asked as he resurfaced from the water.

"Yeah," said the dragon koopa. "It has been the talk of the town for the past two weeks."

Toadette started to feel her heart thump in excitement. They were one step closer to finding the eggs!

"That's great! Where are they?" she asked.

"They are in the mountains just east of here."

"Awesome!" Toadette said. She started heading toward the door. "Come on guys, let's get going!"

Toadette was about to open the door and head back inside when she heard the dragon koopa speak up.

"Wait!" he said. "It's dangerous to go there. There have been rumors of dragons in that area. I suggest that you don't go alone."

Bank smirked.

"And who do you suggest should go with us."

The dragon koopa considered it.

"Well, I suppose I could. I have dealt with dragons in the past."

Captain stood up and smiled at the dragon koopa.

"Well then, welcome aboard Mr..."

"Sunny. My name is Sunny Blaze."

Captain smiled and gave Sunny's hand a generous shake. Toadette noticed that Bank adorned an expression that was surprisingly sour. Sunny most not have noticed it though, because he smiled.

"I hope my services are of use to you," he said to Captain.


	10. Egg Hunt

Chapter 10 Egg Hunt

Sunny led the way for the Brigade as they headed in the direction of the mountain range. Captain was right in the middle of a discussion with the dragon koopa.

"So," he said, "you've encountered dragons before?"

"I have indeed," Sunny replied. "Before I moved into Duneshine, I served as a soldier in the Koopa Troop. I remember one day in particular, where this _huge_ dragon swooped down from this skies! He was big and red, his foul breath stank worse than a toilet after someone was sick in it."

Mail and Yellow's eyes grew wide.

"That's so cool!" Mail said. "How did you handle it?"

"Oh, we just used a bunch of rocks," Sunny replied. "We threw these rocks right into the dragon's gullet and directly at it's fragile wings. After it died, we took its head to King Bowser, who mounted it as a trophy over his hearth."

Bank's countenace grew colder and darker by the minute.

"So you knew King Bowser?" he asked, venom practically saturating his tone.

"Oh yes. In fact, King Bowser even gave me this medal for stunning acts of bravery!"

From his hammerspace, Sunny pulled out a shiny golden medallion. The majority of the Brigade oohed and aahed at the sight of it. Bank, however, rolled his eyes.

"Whst is wrong with you people?" he said.

Toadette, concerned and aggravated by his sour attitude, approached him cautiously.

"Bank, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing," Bank said as he started to follow the rest of the Brigade toward the mountain. he reached into the cooler and pulled out a water bottle.

"I know that you are lying," Toadette said. "You are acting even more grumpy than you usually do."

Bank squirted the water into his mouth. When he finished, he threw the empty bottle into the sand.

"Why should you care?" he asked. "You are all in love with 'Sunny.'"

"What are you talking about? We aren't in love with Sunny. And why should you care if we are?"

Bank sighed and pulled Toadette away from the group.

"I don't know if we can trust him," he said. "After all, he outright admitted to being familiar with Bowser! If that isn't a red flag, I don't know what is."

"Bank," Toadette said gently. "Just because he met Bowser one time doesn't mean that Sunny is evil."

"I know, I know. It's just I'm concerned. After all, you and I both know how much trouble dragon koopas have caused us in the past. I mean, everyone that I have encountered has behaved absolutely horrible. What makes this one any different?"

Toadette thought about. Her eyes roamed over to the rest of the Brigade, who were almost two yards away now.

"Well, Bank, I don't know if you are correct or not, but there is one thing that I do know. If Sunny is correct about the sandbird eggs, then that would make our job so much easier. So, I am choosing to trust him."

So, Toadette started walking back over to the group. She heard Bank let out a sigh and follow after her.

The Brigade got to the mountain range lickity split. They started to climb up the rocky terrain, all the while being led by Sunny and Captain. When they got to the top, they all stopped and stared. There they were; the sandbird eggs.

"We found them!" Blue exclaimed. "Oh, thank you, Sunny!"

"No problem," Sunny siad. "Now, let's get started on getting them off this mountain."

Just as he said that, Toadette heard what sounded like a roar in the distance. She looked around in concern.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Blue said. The rest of the Brigade looked frightened, and Captain was practically shaking in his boots. Sunny looked concerned.

"Oh no," he said. "I know that sound."

Suddenly, right behind the sandbird nest, Toadette saw the biggest, blackest dragon of all time.


	11. Deadly Dragon

Chapter 11 Deadly Dragon

"Okay. Everybody remain calm," said Sunny.

Toadette wished more than anything else in the world at this point that she had the ability to follow that advice. After all, the last thing she wanted to do was to provoke the dragon that now faced them with its burning, hate-filled eyes. However, she feared that she did not have the mental capacity to stay calm when facing a dragon because IT WAS A FLIPPING DRAGON! Toadette reasoned that the only people who could stay calm when facing a dragon were statues.

"Who are you?" the dragon asked. Its voice sounded like thunder cracks during a violent storm. Toadette looked and saw that the other members of the Brigade were just as scared as she was. Even Bank looked ready to have a panic attack.

"We...we are the Toad Brigade," said Captain.

"Yeah," said Blue. "And we...we don't much trouble."

The dragon narrowed its eyes, making himself look more fierce some than before. Toadette looked at Sunny, if for no other reason than to not have to stare at the dragon anymore. She was so scared that she felt sick to her stomach.

"Are you here for the sand bird eggs?" asked the dragon.

"Y...yes we are," said Yellow. "Can...can you please hand them over?"

The dragon snickered.

"I'll hand them over in the form of an omelet!" he bellowed. He then backed up, and Toadette saw bright purple flames start to escape from the corners of his mouth.

"Everyone, get down!" Sunny screamed.

The Brigade didn't need to be told twice. They all got down on their stomachs as Toadette felt the heat scorch her bottom. She whimpered, both in fear and in pain. She looked to Captain for guidance once the flames had cleared up.

"Captain, what do we do?" she asked.

"I...".

"Get as many rocks as you can and get as high up as you can," Sunny commanded.

The dragon rose into the air. From its mouth it shot out spurts of bright white fire. Toadette felt like her skin was melting as she gathered up the rocks she would use as projectiles. After she had gotten enough rocks, she ran up to a section of elevated ground. She noticed that Bank was by her side, and he looked at her with concern.

"Toadette," he said. "I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I will protect you!"

Toadette felt the heat rush to the center of her cheeks.

"Bank..."

"Aim for the wings!" Sunny called out as he climbed up to the ground where Bank and Toadette were standing. Toadette did as she was told and started hurling rocks at the wings of the great serpent. She heard the mighty beast yelp in pain when the rocks tore through the scales of one of the wings.

"Great job, Toadette!" said Sunny. He looked down toward the nest. "Captain, Mail, get the eggs!"

Captain and Mail nodded and started to head toward the nest. Sunny grabbed hold of Toadette's hand and smiled at her. There was a hint of seductiveness to his expression.

"Bet you weren't expecting to see this when you woke up in the morning, huh?" he asked. Toadette laughed.

"No, I haven't."

Out of the corner of her eye, Toadette thought she noticed Bank's mouth hanging open. However, when she turned to him, his eyes were on the dragon.

"You're going down!" he called out.

The dragon laughed. Then it swung its tail in the direction of Bank, Sunny, and Toadette. When they got hit, they were all flung into the air and started to plummet from the side of the mountain.

"Bank! Toadette!" Toadette heard Yellow call out frantically as they started to fall.

"No!" cried Mail as he held the eggs.

The last thing Toadette saw was the dragon carrying the Brigade and the eggs away in its claws. She screamed as she, Bank, and Sunny fell into a warp pipe at the bottom of the mountain.


	12. Stuck Underground

Chapter 12 Stuck Underground

"Toadette? Toadette?!"

Bank's voice sounded like it was stuck in a distant echo chamber. Toadette attempted to open her eyes so that she could see her green capped friend, but it was like her eyelids were made out of lead. In fact, it was like her whole body was made out of lead. She could not move a muscle.

"Oh Toadette, please wake up," Bank said again. His voice was starting to sound less echoey. Toadette attempted to move her head, and miraculously, her eyes started to slide open. It took some effort, yes, but at least it happened. Toadette stared up into Bank's worried face and put on a smile.

"Bank."

Bank smiled back, looking relieved.

"Oh, thank the developer!" He wrapped his arms around Toadette in a hug. "I was so worried there for a second!"

Toadette attempted to stand, but she had to hold onto Bank for support. She stumbled and almost fell back down, as her feet felt so stiff that she wouldn't be surprised if they had turned into wood. Toadette noticed for the first time how dark it was. She also noticed that the floor was very rigid, almost as if it were made out of crystal.

"Where are we?" Toadette asked, her speech slurred.

"We're in a cave," Bank explained. "We fell into a warp pipe."

Toadette nodded as her head started to ache.

"Oww!" she said as she put her hand to her forehead. Bank looked at her sympathetically.

"You must have gotten a concussion." He set her back down on the ground. "I think we should stay here until you start to feel better."

Toadette would have nodded if it weren't for the fact that almost her entire head was bursting with pain. She laid her down on the ground. It was uncomfortable trying to rest on the crystals, but at least it didn't hurt as much as trying to keep her head held upright. Suddenly, Toadette heard the ground crunching in a rhythm, a sign that someone was coming toward them.

"Is she okay?" Toadette heard Sunny's voice say.

Toadette opened her eyes just a little to see how Bank would responded. She could see that he was shooting the most intense and most venomous glare that Toadette had ever seen in her lifetime.

"She's hurt."

"Oh," Sunny said. "I am so sorry."

"You should be!" Bank yelled. "Because it is entirely your fault!"

"What! How is this my fault?!"

Bank stood upwards, the glare still making its ugly presence known.

"You were the one who told us to stand on elevated ground! If it weren't for that 'brilliant' piece of advice, we wouldn't be here right now!"

"Bank," Sunny said. Toadette turned her head toward him and saw that his eyes were starting to water.

"So thanks to you, we are now stuck underground with absolutely no way of getting out! And, to make matters worse, we are now completely separated from the rest of the team!"

That was when Sunny burst into tears. He crumpled like a wilting flower to the ground, and while he was on his knees, he started to sob.

"Stop yelling at me!" he cried.

"Oh I am not even halfway through!" Bank screamed. "Did I forget to mention that Toadette is hurt? Yeah, she is hurt really bad, and it is alll your fault!" Bank crossed hsi arms. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted a dragon koopa."

Sunny gasped. Toadette, despite how much she knew it would hurt, stood up and got in front of Bank.

"Bank! That was not called for! Just because Sunny is a dragon koopa doesn't mean he is a bad person."

"But Toadette..."

"Would you be yelling this much if it were Captain who made this mistake? If it was Captain who got us separated from the rest of the group?"

Bank gazed softened, but only a little.

"Well, no..."

"Exactly! So why don't you apologize to Sunny?"

Bank's eyes travelled over to the golden shelled dragon koopa. If Toadette had to admit that the sight of him sobbing on the floor was incredibly pathetic. Bank sighed.

"Alright. I'm sorry Sunny."

Sunny stopped crying and looked up at Bank. He wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Toadette smiled.

"Good. Now lets see if we can find a way out of here."


	13. World 4

Chapter 13 World 4

Trying to keep Bank from exploding right in Sunny's face was one of the hardest things that Toadette had ever done, especially in a dark cave like this. Thankfully, they all managed to find a warp pipe fairly quickly. If it weren't for that, Toadette would have had the misfortunate of watching Bank turn Sunny into mush.

The warp pipe that they found took them all to a bright and sunshine filled area. The ground was blanketed by a soft, white sand, and the ocean was not that far away. Palm trees and bushes could be seen further inland, creating a beautiful contrast between green and white. Toadette turned toward Bank with a questioning look.

"Is this...?"

"World 4? Yep." Bank pulled himself out of the warp pipe and landed in the sand. Dust flew up from the places where his feet had made impact, causing Toadette to sneeze.

"Oh man, it's beautiful here!" Sunny exclaimed as he too got out of the warp pipe. "I have never been to World 4 before!"

Bank scoffed. Before he could say a snide comment however, Toadette spoke up.

"How are we going to get back to World 2?"

"That is a good question," Sunny said. "If we wish to find the rest of your Toad Brigade, we need to return there as soon as possible."

"Thanks Captain Obvious," Bank said through gritted teeth. Toadette shot him a glare to make sure that he stayed silent.

"I suggest that we build a raft using some of the wood from the palm trees," said Sunny. "That way, we will be able to sail back to the desert."

"That is a good idea, Sunny." Toadette got out of the warp pipe and turned toward Bank. "Do you think we can do that Bank?"

The only thing that Bank did in response was nod. Toadette nodded her head and, despite Bank's attitiude, put on a little smile.

"Alright. Then let's go build a raft!"

That was when the group dispersed. Sunny and Bank naturally went in completely different directions. Toadette decided that she should stick close to the shoreline, so that way she would not get lost. Thankfully, she did manage to find a lot of large pieces of drift wood that would be able to serve as building material.

As she gathered the pieces of driftwood, Toadette had a very gloomy, dark feeling plaguing her stomach. She hated seeing people fight, especially if at least one of her friends was involved. Sure, Bank could be a little rough around the edges, but Toadette still considered him a friend. What mad eit worse was the fact that they had not known Sunny for very long, and here Bank was willing to yell at someone who was more or less a complete stranger.

As she thought about this, Toadette noticed two hucket crabs. One had stolen the shell of another and was running away. The other hucket crab had an angry expression on its face. Toadette would have giggled at the sight if it weren't for the fact that the scene reminded her of the scenario that she was experiencing right at that moment.

Then a thought landed in Toadette's head. There was one difference between the scenario between the hucket crabs and her friends: her. She was the third party in the situation; a third party who, theoretically, could help to solve the problem. She didn't want Bank to be angry at Sunny? Alright. She would do anything and everything in her power to make sure that they stayed friendly toward each other. Yeah, that seemed like a good idea!

It was around this time that Toadette decided that she had accumlated enough driftwood, so she turned around and started heading back. As she stopped by the warp pipe, she saw that Bank and Sunny were also coming back, and each had a boatload of wood in their arms. Toadette put in a conscious effort to put on a humongous smile.

"You guys got the wood!" She laughed. "I think that you both did an excellent job!"

Sunny grinned.

"Why thank you, Toadette," he said. Bank stared at her like she had lost her mind.

"What's up with you?" he asked.

"Oh not much," Toadette said with a nervous laugh. "I'm just excited that we are finally able to get out of here!"

Sunny chuckled.

"Oh, I know how you feel." He set the wood that he had been carrying down on the ground. Then he reached into his hammerspace (the area between the shell and the rest of the body) and pulled out a rope. He smiled.

"Okay. Stand back and let me work my magic!"

Bank and Toadette did as they were told. Toadette watched in awe as Sunny managed to fashion all the wood together into a fully functioning raft. Once he had completely finished, Toadette applauded.

"That was amazing, Sunny!" She turned to Bank. "Wasn't that amazing, Bank?"

Bank looked at her with a confused, questioning expression.

"Who are you, my mom?" he asked.

Toadette didn't respond. Instead, she jumped onto the raft, and Bank reluctantly did the same. Sunny pushed them into the ocean, and together the three of them were off.


	14. The Raging at Sea

Chapter 14 The Raging at Sea

The sea was surprisingly calm, almost as if it had just taken a long, refreshing nap. Toadette used an oar to steer the raft in the direction of World 2, which according to Bank was south. However, Sunny disagreed. He said that it was to the west. Not wanting the fighting between the two to get any worse, Toadette decided to compromise and steer the raft southwest.

Bank had offered to take the oar several times. He claimed that he wanted Toadette to relax, but Toadette saw right through him. SHe recognized that he wanted to steer the oar in the direction that he wanted to go. So, Toadette said that she was fine, despite the fact that her arms were getting tired and blisters and splinters were starting to appear on her palms.

After a little bit more rowing, Toadette noticed something odd. In the water, she could see sea creatures swimming about. Most of them appeared to be cheep cheeps. These yellow, red, and green creatures seemed to quickly be moving in the opposite direction that the raft was heading. Almost as if they were trying to escape from something. Toadette pointed this out to Bank and Sunny, but Sunny dismissed it.

"They are probably migrating," Sunny said. "It's that time of year, after all."

"Well, yeah," said Toadette said. "But aren't they going in the wrong direction?"

"Yeah, I think you're right," said Bank. "Normally, in the summer, the cheep cheeps go south, not north."

Sunny just waved his hand nonchalantly to dismiss his crew members' worries.

"You guys are over thinking this," he said. "There is absolutely nothing to..."

Suddenly, something hit the side of the raft, causing it to rock back and forth. It shook so violently that Sunny actually toppled over and fell into the sea. He accidentally spit out the water in Bank's face once he resurfaced, which Bank of course did not take lightly.

"What was that for?!" he screamed at Sunny.

"I'm sorry," Sunny said as he held up his hands. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Oh, you mean like I didn't mean to do this?" Bank took the oar out of Toadette's hand and whacked Sunny right on the head with it.

"Oww!" Sunny exclaimed. Toadette felt bad for him as she saw a bump start to form on his skull. She turned to Bank madly.

"Bank, what is the matter with you?"

Bank gawked at his teammate.

"Oh, you're actually taking his side now?" he asked angrily. "I thought the Toad Brigade was supposed to support each other."

"Yeah, it is. But you know what else it is supposed to do? NOT RESORT TO PETTY VIOLENCE!"

Bank was just about to respond to this when, suddenly, something dragged Sunny below the surface. Toadette gasped when she saw that there were bubbles where the dragon koopa used to be.

"Oh no!" Toadette yelled. "Bank, we need to go after him!"

"What!" Bank asked. "Why? So we can get eaten as well?"

Toadette was so angry that she felt a vein starting to pop in her forehead. If she got any angrier, that vein would definitely explode.

"I thought the Toad Brigade was supposed to hold up bravery, selflessness, and love as its ordeals. Well, right now, you are being a selfish coward Bank."

Believe it or not, Bank actually looked genuinely hurt by that.

"Toadette..."

"No! I don't care whether you are a big fan of Sunny or not. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean that they aren't people in the world who do. And if we don't get Sunny back to Duneshine in one piece, then those friends of his are certainly going to panic."

As she said this, Toadette was stripping off her explorer vest, exposing her pink shirt to the sunny air. She took a deep breath as she stared at the ocean.

"But Toadette, we don't know what's down there!" Bank said.

"Then I will go down myself. It's not a good idea if both of us get into danger."

"Toadette, wait!"

It was too late. Toadette had already dived.


	15. Swimming Trials

Chapter 15 Swimming Trials

Toadette could barely see in the inky darkness of the deep blue sea. She squinted, trying her best to make out the outlines of the creatures around her. One of them just had to be Sunny; he had to be somewhere down here. Toadette was starting to grow so worried that her heart was like a drum in her chest.

Toadette kept searching, feeling her face go puffy and red from all of the air she was trying to hold in. She knew that she needed air soon, but she didn't care. Unfortunately, Toadette was not one of those people who could hold their breath for a long time. On top of that, she knew that she wasn't the fastest of swimmers. These two factors, along with the fact that her eyesight had more or less been rendered useless, were making Toadette slowly lose hope. Said hope was escaping from her body like the air that she desperately needed.

The scenery was slowly getting even darker. Toadette was feeling faint as the water started to fill he lungss like water balloons. She was drowning. There was no doubt about that. Toadette looked back up at the surface of the water, but it was too far away.

Toadette couldn't even swim anymore as the evil sea slowly sucked the life out of her. She stopped moving her arms and hung her head. She felt lightheaded. She felt so lightheaded, in fact, that when Bank plucked her out of the sea and brought her back to the raft, she thought she was imagining it.

"Toadette!" Toadette heard Bank say her name. His voice sounded distant. "Toadette!"

Toadette slowly coughed up the water that she had been accidentally swallowing. She looked and saw Bank, standing over her with worry highlighting the features of his round face.

"Bank..."

Toadette coughed again, taking in precious air as she did so. Bank looked pleased.

"Oh, thank the developer," he said in relief. He wrapped Toadette in a hug, much to her surprise.

"Bank," Toadette said, "thank you."

"No problem," Bank said. He hesitantly looked back at the water. "Man, that was deep."

"Yeah," Toadette said as she wrung the water out of her pigtails. Suddenly, she put on a determined face. "Which is why we need to help Sunny."

Bank hesitated before nodding.

"You're probably right. No, you're definitely right. But Toadette, we don't even know if he is still alive! I mean, you yourself almost drowned, and Sunny has been under for even longer than you have."

Toadette shook her head.

"That doesn't matter. As long as there is even the slightest sliver of a possibility, I'm still going to try."

Toadette was about to dive back down, but Bank put his hand on her back.

"Wait. I'm coming with you."

"You are?"

"Yes. I am a much better swimmer than you are. I can guide you along."

Toadette slowly nodded before letting Bank take her hand.

"Okay," he said. "Hold on and don't let go no matter what you do."

With that, Bank and Toadette dived. Bank was an incredible swimmer. He swam with the speed of a dolphin. What's more, with him holding on to her, Toadette actually felt much safer. She would have smiled at him if it weren't for the fact that they were underwater.

Suddenly, Bank started to take a nose dive. Toadette was unsure why until she saw a flash of golden yellow in the water. That could only mean one thing; Sunny was close. His golden yellow shell and golden yellow hair stuck out like a sore thumb amid the turquoise blue of the ocean. Toadette felt happiness take her over.

Bank was just about to catch up with Sunny when all of a sudden, he was dragged into the kelp. Bank followed him, and Toadette was starting to grow worried again. What exactly had Sunny?

Toadette got the answer to that question fairly quickly. Bank and Toadette found him in an open sea grotto, nestled in a bed of sand. His face was blue because of all the held in air. Toadette let go of Bank's hand and swam over to him. Then almost she screamed.

Right in front of her was Big Bertha, the terror of the sea.


	16. Big Bertha Battle

Chapter 16 Big Bertha Battle

Big Bertha, the mother of all fish, the terror of the seven seas, faced Toadette and Bank like they were delicious meals. She opened her mouth, and Toadette saw that tiny little fish escaped from her massive maw. These were obviously her children, and they clearly longed for a good meal. Big Bertha then pulled two super mushrooms from behind her back and gave them to her kids. They gobbled them up like there was no tomorrow, and when they finished, they were both the same size as their hideous mother.

Toadette exchanged a look with Bank. This was not good at all. She and Bank could probably face off against one Big Bertha. But three? Out of the question.

One of the kids charged at Toadette and Bank, its mouth wide open. Bank, with his hand grasped around Toadette's, bolted out of the way. The other kid tried going after them as well, but thankfully, Bank managed to dodge again. However, Toadette knew that he could not keep this up forever. Not only would Bank eventually grow exhausted, but both of the toads were quickly running out of oxygen. They needed to think of something fast.

Now Big Bertha charged at the toads. Her mouth was so wide open that the scent of her poor oral hygiene crept around the sea. Toadette watched in terror as she came charging at the two of them. There was no possible way that Bank would be able to dodge her.

Thankfully, Bank didn't need to dodge. He kicked the massive fish right in the jaw. Big Bertha recoiled, and Toadette could see that a massive bump was starting to form on her lower lip. Clearly, Bank was stronger than Toadette gave him credit for.

Unfortunately, Toadette didn't think Bank's strength would be able to save her. Her breath was becoming nearly impossible to hold. She was doing her best, but the oxygen she desperately needed was becoming more and more elusive. She needed to get to the surface as soon as possible. However, Toadette suspected that was not a probable solution. She and Bank were too deep under. Besides, Sunny still needed them.

Speaking of Sunny, Toadette tried looking for him. She spotted his golden yellow shell as he laid on the bed of kelp. Toadette let go of Bank and swam over to the dragon koopa. She saw that his eyes were closed. She felt his heartbeat. He was still alive, but unless something happened, he would not stay that way for long.

Toadette heard the unmistakable sound of Big Bertha charging again. She looked and saw that she was coming directly at her. Toadette grabbed Sunny by the shoulders and swam upward. Unfortunately, unlike Bank, she was not quick enough to escape the monster's clutches. Big Bertha's mouth snapped closed around Sunny's foot. Toadette tried to pull, desperate to get Sunny to safety. However, she was becoming too light headed. Her surroundings were starting to go dark...

Out of the corner of her eye, Toadette saw Bank trying to swim away. At first, she was ignorant to the reason why. Then, when she squinted, she could see yellow question mark blocks floating in the water. Bank punched them, and two penguin suits popped out. He activated one for himself, then quickly swam over to Toadette with another one in hand.

"Quick," he said. "Activate this!"

Toadette didn't need to be told twice. She activated the penguin suit, and when she did, her breath returned to her.

"Thanks, Bank," she said. "You're a lifesaver."

Suddenly, Big Bertha gave a tug on Sunny's foot again. She was trying to drag him under. Her kids came up an grabbed hold of their mother's fins, trying to aid her. Toadette pulled, using the flippers of the penguin suit to swim. Unfortunately, she was not strong enough to pull Sunny to the surface. She was also starting to be dragged under.

"Don't worry, Toadette," Bank said. "I'll help you!"

Bank grabbed a hold on Toadette's shoulders and started to pull. Miraculously, their combined strength was enough to rival the that of the fishes. Sunny's foot started to come loose. Finally, once he was completely free, Bank and Toadette made a beeline for the surface. Once Toadette got back on the raft, she felt immensely relieved.

"We did it!" she said.

Unfortunately, the toads weren't out of the water just yet. Toadette could see the three fishes approaching them, swimming up to the surface with the speed of a dolphin. Big Bertha jumped out of the water with her children by her side, their mouths hanging wide open. Toadette felt fear strike her. What could she do?

"Don't worry, Toadette! I've got this!" said Bank. With that, he threw an ice ball at the humongous fish. Big Bertha was now encased in a thick block of ice. She fell out of the air and bobbed in the water. Her kids looked at their now frozen mother in shock and quickly swam away. Toadette laughed.

"Yes! You did it, Bank!"

"Aww, shucks," Bank said while blushing.

Toadette smiled at her green capped friend. However, her smile quickly evaporated when she caught sight of Sunny. His foot was bleeding, badly so. His skin had also been peeled off, leaving his flesh exposed to the air. That would be concerning by itself, but Sunny's lungs were also filled to overflowing with seawater. Toadette looked at Bank in concern.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

Bank seemed to consider this. As he did, he squinted into the distance.

"Hey, what's that?"

Toadette looked where Bank was looking. She could just barely make out the outline of a white ship on the horizon line.

"It looks like a ship," she said. Suddenly, Toadette grew excited. "Maybe whoever is on board can help us!"

Bank nodded in agreement.

"I was thinking the same thing!" He grabbed hold of an oar. "Come on, Toadette. Let's get going!"


	17. Daisy Cruise Lines

Chapter 17 Daisy Crusie Lines

The closer that Toadette and Bank got to the ship, they could see that it was no ordinary sailboat. It was huge, grand even. As a matter of fact, it just so happened to be a cruise ship. Toadette could see that it had the words "Daisy Cruise Lines" printed on the vessel's side.

Toadette instantly felt excited. Daisy Cruise Lines was one of the most famous cruise lines in the Mushroom World. Created by Daisy, the princess of Sarasaland, this chain drew many people to it year round. Toadette had always wanted to take a cruise on one of the ships, but had just never had the time.

Nor did she really have the time now. Sunny was groaning as his eyelids fluttered. His foot was bleeding uncontrollably. Toadette knew that he needed help, and quickly. She exchanged a look with Bank, which was enough to make him start to grow even faster. When they got to the bottom of the humongous ship, Toadette cupped her hands around her mouth and called out.

"Hey!"

Two of the passengers looked over the side of the ship. One was a pianta, and the other was a Koopa parattoopa. Toadette could just barely see the intense amounts of surprise on their faces when they spotted the people on the raft.

"Can you help us!?" Toadette called out.

The two passengers started to have a conversation, although Toadette was too far away to really hear them. Then, the paratroopa flew down to them, and he looked worried.

"What the World Eight are two toads and a dragon Koopa doing in the middle of the ocean?"

Bank snickered.

"I don't know; what's a cruise boat full of people doing in the middle of the ocean?" he asked sarcastically.

"Bank!" Toadette snapped at him. She then turned back to the paratroopa. "We need your help. Sunny here has gotten badly injured!"

Toadette directed the paratroopa's attention to the injured Sunny. The worried look that the paratroopa had grew even more worrisome.

"Oh my developer! What happened?"

"It's a long story," Toadette said.

The paratroopa slapped on a determined expression.

"Well, don't you worry." He picked up the unconscious dragon Koopa and held him in his arms. "I'll see to it that he gets medical attention."

With that, the paratroopa flew back up to the ship. Toadette waited expectantly for the paratroopa to return. When he did, he grabbed hold of Bank and Toadette's hands and hoisted them onto the ship. Once safely on the deck, the pianta looked at the two Toads with wide eyes.

"Are you two alright?" she asked.

"Oh, we're fine," said Bank. "He isn't though."

The pianta looked down at the groaning Sunny with the same worried expression that the paratroopa had held. Thankfully, the paratroopa was now returning with two members of the medical staff, and they were accompanied by a stretcher.

"Here he is," said the paratroopa. They medical staff looked down at him.

"Oh man," said the Male. "Looks like he is beaten up pretty badly."

The woman smiled.

"But don't worry, you two. We'll get him ship shape in no time!"

With that, the two medical staff hoisted Sunny onto the stretcher and took him to a separate room. The paratroopa and the Pianta let out sighs of relief that Toadette didn't even realize they were holding in.

"Thank goodness," the pianta said. Then she turned toward the two toads with a warm, gentle smile. "I'm Sandy, by the way."

"And I'm Bryan," said the paratroopa. "Who might you be?"

Bank stepped forward, and Toadette could see that his chest was puffed out.

"My name is Bank Toad, and this is my friend, Toadette. We are both members of the Toad Brigade."

Sandy's eyes grew wide.

"Are you serious?!" she asked. Once Bank nodded, she squealed like a little girl. "Oh my goodness! I love the Toad Brigade!"

"Really?" asked Toadette.

"Yes! I even bought you guys' picture book and everything!" Sandy reached into her bag and pulled out the copy of the picture book and a pen. "Can I please have your autograph?"

Toadette exchanged a look with Bank before taking the pen and writing on the inside cover. Once both of them had done that, Sandy giggled.

"Oh man! I am so going to tell people about this on my blog!"

With that, Sandy ran away. Bryan turned toward Toadette and Bank while chuckling.

"Forgive her. She can be get really fangirly when given the opportunity."

"Oh, really?" Bank said. "I barely noticed."

Bryan laughed before looking curious.

"Say. Where is the rest of the Toad Brigade?"

Toadette exchanged a sad look with Bank before letting out a sigh.

"It's a long story..."


	18. Onward to Isle Delfino

Chapter 18 Onward to Isle Delfino

"Hmm," Bryan said once Toadette had finished explaining herself. "Interesting."

Bank snickered.

"That's not the word I'd use, but okay."

Bryan gave Bank a look before turning back to Toadette.

"It's too bad that you guys got separated from the rest of the Brigade. But look on the bright side! You got wind up on this ship AND you didn't have to pay! I think that is pretty sweet!"

Toadette swallowed a giggle that was building up in her throat. Then she put on a more serious expression.

"We need to get back to World 2 and find the rest of the Brigade as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Bank agreed. "Who knows what could happen if they stay in the dragon's clutches for too long?"

Bryan looked somber.

"I don't even want to imagine what happened to the sand bird eggs that you guys were pursuing."

Toadette's eyes grew wide.

"Oh man, you're right!" She started to chew her fingernails in worry. "What are we going to do?"

Bryan then put on a contemplative expression.

"Well, you could talk to the ship's captain. Maybe she could could get this ship to turn around."

Bank nodded as he thought about this.

"That seems like a decent idea. What do you think, Toadette?"

Toadette thought about this. She didn't know if the captain could do much of anything. After all, she didn't know how far away from World 2 they were. However, it seemed like the best option that they had at the moment.

"Very well," she said. "Let's go to the captain."

Bryan nodded and started to lead the two Toads across the deck. Toadette, despite her worry and fright, couldn't help but admire the sights that the cruise ship offered. For one thing, there were a LOT of people here. Toadette was starting to feel overwhelmed by them. She didn't mind being in large groups of people, but this was just too much. However, Toadette was more than happy to see the foods that were set up on the tables. There were so many decadent, delicious dishes from all sorts of Mushroom Kingdom cultures. Toadette also heard beautiful music blazing in the background. It was very catchy, and it was enough to warrant a head bop from the little Mushroom girl.

Bryan lead them inside, to the restaurant. Like every other part of the ship, the restaurant was jammed with people. Toadette and Bank had to weave in and out as Bryan lead them to the stairs. Once they got up the stairwell, Bryan led them down the hall to a door. On the door was a notice that said "Captain's Cabin; Essential Personnel Only." Regardless, Bryan barged in without even knocking.

Toadette noticed that there was a steering wheel in the center of the cabin, and in front of that steering wheel was a Toad woman. She was dressed in a traditional white captain's uniform, and her mushroom cap was blue with white spots. Once the captain heard the door close, she turned around angrily.

"Doesn't anyone ever read the signs around here anymore?"

"I flunked preschool; I'm not a very strong reader," Bank said sarcastically.

The Captain stomped over to Bank, an angry glare making its presence known on her face.

"And who do you think you are, sassing the ship's captain like that?"

Bank smirked st her.

"I think that I am Bank Toad, member and treasurer of the Toad Brigade."

The captain stared at Bank. The she burst out laughing.

"Right. And I'm Princess Peach."

Bank smirked at the Captain again.

"Yeah, I've actually met the Princess,. She even gave me a medal of honor."

With that, Bank reached into his pack and pulled out a shiny golden medal. Once the Captain laid eyes on the prize, her mood shifted completely.

"Oh my developer; you aren't kidding."

"No, we aren't," said Toadette. "And we could really use your help."

With that, Toadette got to explaining the journey that she and the rest of the Brigade had gone on. The captain's interest grew more and more the further Toadette went with the story. Once she was done, the Captain looked wide eyed.

"Wow," she said. "It sounds like you two are in a bit of a pickle."

"Yes we are, Captain..." Toadette glanced at the Captain's name tag..."Toadelle. Do you think it is at all possible that you can change course and take us to World 2?"

Toadelle looked back at the steering wheel. Then she turned back to Toadette, Bank, and Bryan and sighed.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I'm on a strict schedule. If I don't get to Isle Delfino by the morning, my boss is sure to fire me." Then Toadelle smiled. "However, I think I can help you guys in another way. I believe that there might be a ship heading toward World 2 departing from Ricco Harbor. I can give you guys money so that you can buy tickets."

Bank shrugged and slowly put on a nice smile.

"Sure. That would be nice; thank you."

"I know it's not much, but I will also allow you guys to stay on for the rest of the cruise." Toadelle smiled. "I think that you guys deserve a rest after the topsy turvy journey you went on."

Despite the fact that she was feeling a little disappointed, Toadette couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Thank you, Captain Toadelle. We appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now, why don't you guys go enjoy your stay on the ship. We have lattes that were imported straight from the Chai region of Sarasaland."

"They are really good," Bryan said as he licked his lips. "I've had at least twenty of them already. It's a wonder I haven't gotten fat."

Toadette laughed, and surprisingly so did Bank. With one last wish of good luck from Captain Toadelle, the trio left the room.


	19. The Joy's of the Sea

Chapter 19 The Joy's of the Sea

Toadette was worried about...well, she was currently worried about a lot of things. What if Sunny didn't recover properly? What if she and Bank didn't manage to save the rest of the Brigade? What if she got food poisoning from some of the food served on the ship, forcing her to go to the medical bay? What if she died while she was in the medical bay?

"Hey," Bank said. "Is everything okay? You aren't touching your food."

Bank's words drew the Mushroom girl out of her head, if only briefly. She looked down at her fruit salad, elegantly put in place in a coconut bowl. It looked appetizing, but Toadette really wasn't that hungry.

"No, everything is not okay," Toadette said with a sigh. She started picking at a slice of watermelon. "I...Bank, I'm scared."

Bank looked at her with a little bit of empathy shining his eyes. It certainly was an odd sight for Toadette to see.

"I'm scared too. But we need to stay strong. The Brigade is counting on us."

Toadette nodded and looked down at her food again. She nibbled on a piece of cantaloupe.

"That is exactly why I am worried, Bank. I mean, our friends are counting on us! If we don't do this right, then..."

Toadette burst into tears. Her worries were just too much to take. She now understood why people like Captain were so moody. The adventures were fun, but there was certainly a lot of risk involved. There was too much at stake. Toadette felt like she was going to crack under the pressure.

"Hey, hey there," Bank said. His voice sounded odd, as he clearly wasn't used to being the one people turned to for comfort. "We can get through this. We just need to stay positive."

Bank nearly choked on that last word, causing Toadette to swallow a giggle.

"I'm good at staying positive."

"I know you are," Bank replied. He directed his eyes out toward the turquoise ocean. "Honestly, that is what I think is the coolest thing about you, Toadette. I mean, whenever you enter a room, you always seem to brighten up the whole space. It's..." Bank laughed. "It's amazing." Then his face fell. "Honestly, I wish I could do that."

Toadette became curious.

"Well then, why don't you?" she asked.

Bank sighed.

"I try. Believe me, if I could be positive, I would. I would give anything in the world to be a cheerful person. But...I can't. I guess it's just because I know what we risk when we go on adventures. After all, these adventures aren't just merry little romps. There is a very real risk that some of us Brigade members could die." Bank chuckled. It sounded hollow, though, hollow and brittle. "I am honestly really jealous of people like you. You and Yelliw are really amazing. I don't know if you know the danger and just try to ignore it, or if you don't know what you are up against. Either way, you both have a lot of guts."

Toadette normally would have blushed at a compliment like that. Now, however, she just directed her eyes out toward the sea.

"I actually didn't know about the dangers, Bank. After all, you guys made it look so easy. You five have traversed through countless lands, sometimes entirely new galaxies. But you always seemed to be happy about it. Well, most of you." Toadette laughed, and Bank did so as well. "I never really understood you, Bank. You always seemed to be just one big sourpuss. Now...now I can see why."

Bank smiled at put his palm on top of Toadette's hand.

"Well, I guess you and I can be sourpusses together now."

Toadette laughed and looked into Bank's face. For the first time since Toadette remembered seeing him, his eyes were happy. His face was happy; HE was happy.

"Bank?"

"Yes?"

Toadette let out a nervous breath.

"Do you think..."

Before Toadette could finish her sentence, she heard someone approaching l. She smiled.

"Sunny!"

Sunny smiled, his golden hair twinkling in the light of the setting sun.

"Hey, guys. How are you?"

"We're great," said Toadette. "How are you?"

"Much better." Sunny displayed his bandaged up foot to the two Toads. "The doctors really know what they are doing."

Bank looked at Sunny with a semi-happy expression.

"It sounds like they are real lifesavers."

Sunny laughed.

"Literally!"

Toadette laughed right alongside the dragon Koopa. Then she became more serious.

"The captain says we are going to Isle Delfino."

Toadette thought she saw a glimmer of hesitance in Sunny's eyes. However, it quickly melted away and was replaced by a smile.

"Oh, awesome! How long do you think it will be until we get there?"

Bank glanced out to sea and smiled.

"Probably in the next half hour."

Toadette looked and nearly jumped for joy. The dolphin shaped island was just on the horizon!


	20. Isle Delfino

Chapter 20 Isle Delfino

The sun was setting in the western part of the sky as the cruise ship arrived at Isle Delfino. Toadette took in a long breath and closed her eyes. The air here was so fresh, so...lemony. It was hard to describe what exactly made the air so pristine, but Toadette felt like she was right in the middle of the Mushroom World's paradise.

"Attention, cruisers," Toadette heard captain Toadelle say on the intercom. "We are arriving at our final destination; Isle Delfino."

"Oh, yes we are," Bank said. Toadette was surprised to see that her green capped friend was grinning. But, in all honesty, she didn't blame him at all. The island looked absolutely gorgeous. Toadette could see so many beautiful attractions just from looking over the side of the ship, from Pinna Park to Gelato Beach. It was absolutely amazing.

However, there was one person who Toadette noticed was not looking so good. Sunny seemed to be looking at the beach with terror in his eyes. Toadette was just about to go and ask him what was wrong when the boat pulled up into Ricco Harbor.

"We have arrived!" Toadelle announced on the intercom. "All passengers make your way off the ship and enjoy Isle Delfino's luxurious attractions!"

With that, the ramp on the side of the ship was lowered. People stormed off of it onto the dock. Honestly, these people had to be the most calm and collected crowd Toadette had ever seen. They proceeded in an orderly fashion, and they did not even try to push or shove each other out of the way. Honestly, Toadette was mightily impressed.

"Attention," Toadelle called out on the intercom. "Would Toadette, Sunny, and Bank please report to the captain's cabin?"

"I suppose that's our cue," said Bank. Toadette nodded and started to make her way forward. She noticed that Sunny started to look a little relieved. Although, the nervousness was still there, eatingup the features of his face like they were a delicious meal. Toadette walked over to Sunny.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," Sunny replied. He sounded confident, happy. Although, Toadette heard the gulp that escaped from his throat right before he answered. Toadette started to feel even more worried for him, but did not question him any further.

Finally, the party got to the captain's chambers. Toadelle smiled when she saw them.

"Ah, there you three are! I was worried that you weren't coming!" Toadelle then gestured for everyone to gather around her. She pulled out her phone and displayed some information on it. "The boat that takes you back to World 2 departs tomorrow at dawn. As I've already mentioned, I am willing to pay for your tickets. Until then, I am going to get you guys some rooms to sleep in Hotel Delfino."

Toadette's eyes grew wide.

"Hotel Delfino? Toadelle, this is too much!"

Toadelle just laughed.

"It's the least I can do for the Toad Brigade." She then gestured toward the Dragon Koopa by her side. "And Sunny."

Sunny smirked.

"Wow. Glad to know that I am your first priority."

Toadelle laughed. Toadette laughed right along with her, for the sound of her giggles were very infectious.

"So," Bank said. "I think we might want to start heading toward the hotel now. After all, it is starting to get dark."

Toadette nodded. She heard Sunny let out a whimper, which only made her more concerned.

"Okay, seriously Sunny, are you alright?"

Sunny's breathing was starting to become faster, more pronounced. Toadelle looked at him in concern as well.

"What's the matter? Are you worried about walking on your patched up leg?"

Sunny hesitated.

"Yeah, I suppose that's it," he said.

Toadette raised an eyebrow. Sunny didn't sound so sure. As a matter of fact, his voice was shaking mightily.

"Sunny..."

"Oh, for the love of Pete, can we just hurry this up?" asked Bank. "Those comfy beds in Hotel Delfino aren't going to sleep in themselves."

Slowly, Toadette nodded.

"You're right. Let's go."


	21. Prejudice

Chapter 21 Prejudice

Toadette took a deep breath as she stepped down onto the dock. When she let it out, Bank laughed at her.

"You sounded like you were trying to imitate a pig!"

Toadette glared at him.

"That's mean!"

Bank shrugged.

"Hey, it's true!" With that, he started to make his way forward. Toadette felt immense anger starting to take her over. She remembered the conversation that she had with Bank while she was on the boat. He had seemed so genuine while they were talking, so heartfelt. Now he was acting like a complete and total jerk. Toadette didn't know what to think about this.

Fortunately, she didn't really have to think about it. Sunny and Toadelle were just coming off the ship. Toadelle was holding onto Sunny's hand like a loving mother would, and Sunny was shaking in fright. Toadette felt a pang of sympathy, as well as a hint of wonder. Why exactly did Sunny feel this way?

It did not take long for Toadette to figure it out. The second that they got off the dock, the piantas who inhabited Ricco Harbor greeted Sunny with staring, cold, judgemental eyes. Toadette heard some of them whisper back and forth. She was just close enough to hear what they were saying.

"What's a Dragon Koopa doing here?" a pink one asked with malice in her voice.

"Beats me," said a blue one. "But if they know what's good for them, they should get their evil, scaly butt off this island."

Toadette was shocked at what she was hearing. Ahe turned toward Sunny. When you thought about it, he was actually a very pitiful sight. He looked like he would spoil his shell as he limped around on his patched up leg. Despite this, the inhabitants of Isle Delfino were staring at him like he was the spawn of the devil.

"Hey!" A yellow pianta shouted. "Go back to where you came from, you reeking reptile!"

Sunny looked like he was going to burst into tears. Toadette decided to show those piantas exactly what they were dealing with.

"Hey! You leaving this guy alone! He just so happened to be a soldier once!"

"Toadette!" Sunny whispered fiercely. The pianta scoffed.

"Was he a soldier for King Bowser, by any chance?"

Toadette felt her heart start to sink.

"Maybe?" she said weakly.

The pianta scoffed again. He then picked up a watermelon from a fruit stall at his side.

"This is for polluting our island, you Koopa scum!"

With that, he hurled the watermelon right at Sunny. Sunny stared at it with wide eyes.

"Sunny! Toadelle! Look out!" Toadette shrieked. They did not move, just continued staring at the fruity projectile. So, Toadette pushed them out of the way. She heard the melon go splat, and turned to see sticky, watery meat sprawl across the ground.

"Thanks, Toadette," Toadelle replied.

"No problem," Toadette replied. "Now, let's catch up with Bank. I have a feel that this is going to be a long night."

...

When the quartet finally got to Hotel Delfino, Toadette, Sunny, and Toadelle were covered in fruit juice. Apparently, the piantas at Ricco Harbor weren't the only people who have a problem with Dragon Koopas. As they had traversed through Delfino Plaza, more people had flung fruit at Sunny, and as a consequence, Toadette and Toadelle. They had also called Sunny some pretty nasty names.

Now, Toadette was starting to understand why Sunny had been so afraid of coming to Isle Delfino. She herself was starting to feel extremely angry. The way that the piantas treated him was just wrong. Sure, King Bowser had polluted their island and nearly plunged it into endless darkness. That was an example of an extremely evil thing to do. But just because one Dragon Koopa did something like that doesn't mean that ALL are like that!

Toadette shook her head. She probably shouldn't be dwelling on this; it wasn't good for her. She needed to focus on something more positive. Like getting a room, for example.

"Hi," Toadette heard Toadelle say to the Noki at the front desk. "Four checking in?"

The Noki snuck a glance at the party. A look of contempt flew across his face when he saw Sunny.

"We don't cater to Dragon Koopas. Not since the King Bowser incident."

Now Toadette was extremely mad. She angrily approached the Noki.

"Okay, listen here, mister. We just so happened to go on a long journey that separated us from a bunch of people. And, for your information, Sunny managed to be a very helpful and kind asset to said mission. So you had better treat him with respect! You hear?"

The Noki just stared at Toadette without so much as blinking an eye.

"Would you like a room on the first or second floor?" he asked.

Toadette breathed a sigh of relief.

"Second floor."

After the Noki handed the key over, Toadette turned back to the group. Her angry attitude was completely gone, having been replaced by a smile.

"Come on guys. Let's go upstairs."


	22. A Long Night Part 1

Chapter 22 A Long Night

Toadette was still feeling grumpy even as she settled down into her bed. She tried watching the sunset while standing outside on the balcony, but that did very little to help. As a matter of fact, the strong reds just made her even more furious.

Wind whipped at Toadette's pigtails as she stood on the balcony. She took a glance back in the room, where she could see Sunny lying in a ball on his bed. Bank was approaching the sliding glass door.

"I think you might want to come in," he told Toadette. "It's getting dark."

Toadette nodded, despite the fact that she wasn't in any mood to be surrounded by people. She gently closed the door once she stepped inside and went over to Sunny. Seeing him curled up in a feeble position was enough to transform Toadette's anger into pity.

"You okay, Sunny?" she asked.

Sunny barely even acknowledged her presence. This made Bank frustrated.

"Hey, the lady is talking to you," he said. "I think it would only be acceptable if you do something. Unless you are that traumatized."

That was enough to get Sunny to turn toward them. However, he didn't look sad anymore. He looked mad.

"You just don't know what it's like," he said, almost in a shout. "I have been working my tail off, trying to get people to see past the scaly surface. And yet, here we are."

Sunny rolled back over onto his side. Toadette put her hand on his shoulder.

"Sunny..."

"Don't," Sunny said as he batted her hand away. "That's not going to change anything."

Toadette felt a pang of pain. She didn't know how to respond to this. If Sunny was this distraught...

"You know what? You're right." She sat down beside him on the bed. She could hear sniffles come from his nose.

"I miss Duneshine," he said quietly. Upon hearing that, Bank actually looked a little curious.

"How in the world did you come across Duneshine in the first place?"

Sunny sighed.

"I kind of came across it by accident. I...I was tired of serving in the Koopa Troop. I wanted to escape it all, find a place I could truly call home. The Koopa Kingdom never offered me anything except military service, and they didn't try to pretend that they offered more either. And I was just so TIRED of it all. I was tired of people always judging me because of what I was. I didn't want to be a Koopa troop member! I didn't even choose to be a Koopa!"

Sunny wiped his eyes dry of tears. Toadette felt even more sympathetic towards him.

"But I don't suspect you to understand," Sunny said. "You two are Toads. You don't have to deal with this kind of stuff."

Toadette exchanged a look with Bank, who scoffed.

"Man, you REALLY don't know a thing about Toads, man."

"Yeah," said Toadette. "There are stereotypes aimed at Toads as well. We are too cowardly, we are too shrill." Toadette sighed. "I've always hated that first one in particular. People don't seem to realize that there are some pretty courageous Toads out there. But they have seen how the guards act whenever Peach is about to get kidnapped, and make an assumption based on that."

"Yeah," Bank said. "It really grinds my gears." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "And honestly, I think that is part of the reason why Captain wanted to form the Brigade."

Sunny stared at Bank in wonder.

"I never knew that."

"You never asked," Bank said with a shrug.

Sunny started to look contemplative.

"You know, now that I think about it, all the stereotypes you mentioned make sense." He shook his head. "It doesn't mean that it's okay that they are there."

"You're right," Toadette replied. "I imagine that those stereotypes have made a lot of people hesitant to approach Toads."

Sunny only nodded. There was a new kind of understanding in his eyes, a new kind of empathy. Just before he could say anything more, however, Bank let out a sigh.

"Well, it looks like the sun has completely set. I think we need to head to bed."

Toadette could only nod in response. She had a feeling that a long, restless night awaited her.


	23. A Long Night Part 2

**AN: Hey everyone! I reached a milestone with this story! This is now officially the longest story I have written (at least in terms of chapters). I am super happy to have reached this milestone, and I thank you all for sticking around.**

Chapter 23 A Long Night Part 2

Toadette could not sleep.

The whole conversation that she had with Sunny and Bank was keeping her awake, haunting her. She could understand why the hatred toward Koooas existed. On some level, she could even understand why the stereotypes aimed at and applied to Toads existed. But in just wasn't fair. I mean, too cowardly? Wasn't she and the Toad Brigade going out of their way to try and disprove that notion?

Whatever. It's not like it would matter. No matter what she did...no matter what _anyone _did...there would be no way to properly disquell these notions. They were set in stone, almost as if they were a part of history.

Toadette shook her head and got out of bed. There was no point in trying to sleep. If she tried, her mind would wander. And if she did manage to sleep, she had a feeling that her dreams would be less than welcoming. So, she went out to the balcony again.

The moon was like a ripe, shining fruit, lighting up the sky with its glory. The stars seemed to be watching over the Toad girl. They almost seemed to be communicating with her. Toadette had a feeling that, if she took the time, she could translate their twinkles into some sort of Morse code message. The waves were as black as coffee, their foam shining in the moonlight. Their were undulating in a rough motion, seemingly trying to drown the land.

Toadette felt jealous of all of them. The waves didn't have to worry; they were waves, after all. The moon was wise enough to not have to worry either, and the stars were detached enough from the world that they didn't even know the definition of the word worry. The only thing they had to worry about was shining, which they did an absolutely stellar job at.

Toadette lowered her head onto the railing of the balcony. She could probably watch the waves forever, be brought into a hypnotic trance by their motions. They would always be there, always moving. They felt no fear, they just moved forward.

From behind her, Toadette heard the door to the balcony open. She didn't even have to turn around; she knew it was Bank. The green capped Toad walked out and got into the same position that Toadette was in. He watched the waves.

"You know," he finally said. "I bet that Blue would give us a long winded explanation as to why the waves move. I bet he would say that it has something to do with the way the planet spins." Bank laughed. Toadette nodded.

"I bet you're right."

They stood in silence once more. The sound of Bank's breaths were drowned out by the waves.

"I hate to admit it," Bank said, "but I miss them."

Toadette stared at him with a weird, interested look.

"Why would you hate to admit that?"

Bank shrugged.

"I don't know. There is nothing wrong with missing your colleagues. Especially considering that one of them is my twin."

Toadette nodded again. She thought about what Yellow must be up to at this moment. He was probably terrified. Unless he was...no, he had to terrified.

"And, I have to admit," Bank continued. "I am worried about them."

"Oh, me too. I am absolutely terrified of what could be happening to them."

Bank looked at her expectantly for a few seconds. Then he smirked.

"Normally, you would say something that would try to bring everyone's spirits up."

Toadette didn't even have the strength to nod anymore. She sighed and turned back to the waves again.

"I don't know if I can this time."

Bank put his hand on her shoulder.

"That's fine. You don't have to be the ray of sunshine all the time."

Toadette smiled.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, it would be kind of weird if you were."

Toadette laughed.

"I don't mind being weird. But thanks Bank."

Bank smiled back at her. Together, they stared at the frothy, undulating waves.

"Well, I am going to go back to bed," said Bank.

Toadette nodded.

"I'll just be out here for a little bit."

Bank nodded.

"Okay." With that, he went back inside.


	24. No Koopas Allowed

Chapter 24 No Koopas Allowed

Toadette yawned and stretched. Light was streaming through the windows, indicating that morning had finally arrived. She smiled. She actually felt a lot better. It seemed that rest was all that she needed.

She heard the bathroom door open. She saw Sunny come out with a toothbrush in his mouth. He said something to Toadette, but she couldn't make out what it was.

"What was that?" she asked.

Sunny held up his hand and ducked back into the bathroom. He came back out with his mouth coated in toothpaste.

"I said good morning, Toadette."

"Oh. Well, good morning to you too," Toadette responded. "Where's Bank?"

"He went to talk to Toadelle."

"Ah," Toadette said with a nod. That most likely meant that Bank would return with their tickets. Sunny smiled and sat back down on the bed.

"Now, if you don't mind," he said as he pulled the covers over him. "I am going back to sleep."

Toadette gave him a weird look as she laughed.

"You brush your teeth and now you are going to go back to bed? That seems kind of redundant."

Sunny shook his head.

"Oh believe me, it's not. Have you tasted Dragon Koopa morning breath? It's nasty!"

"That's fair," Toadette said as she shrugged. Sunny turned over on his side. Just before he could really get to sleeping, Bank came back into the room.

"Well, I got em," he announced. He displayed three tickets to the others like they were golden eggs. Toadette smiled.

"Nice! Good job, Bank."

Bank only nodded as a sign of thanks. He went over to Sunny and started to shake him.

"Wake up, lazy koopa. Get your shell out of bed!"

Sunny groaned.

"I didn't exactly have the best day yesterday. I think I'm allowed to be lazy."

"Well, Toadette and I want to be able to rescue our colleagues. I think that it's okay if I want to get moving."

Sunny looked thoughtful.

"I suppose that's fair."

Bank's face got a little more smug.

"Besides, these tickets are our way of getting off the island. If I didn't know any better, Sunny, I'd say that you want to stay."

Sunny smiled and threw the pillow at him.

...

On some level, Toadette was sad to leave the island so soon. As she and her party walked to Ricco Harbor, she took in the sights and sounds. The sun was dazzling, but not overbearing like it was in World 2. The grass was a beautiful shade of green, the perfect shade of green as a matter of fact. Even so far inland, Toadette could hear the waves crashing headfirst onto the beach. It sounded amazing. Toadette had to keep reminding herself of her mission so she wouldn't be distracted by the beauty.

Finally, the trio got to Ricco Harbor. They saw the boat that would take them off the island. It was just resting patiently in the water as people boarded it. Toadette walked over with her ticket in hand. She was greeted by the captain, a pianta with pink skin and a professional looking costume. He smiled at Toadette.

"Hello, lovely young lady. You going to World 2, too?"

Toadette giggled at his repetition.

"Why, yes. In fact, all three of us are going."

The pianta looked up. When he saw Sunny, he instantly became cross.

"No Dragon koopas allowed."

"What?" asked Bank. "Why not?"

"It's company policy. No Dragon koopas are allowed to board our boats, for the safety of the other passengers."

"What? That's bull!" Bank exclaimed.

"It's just how it is," said the Captain. "Sorry. It looks like you three need to find another way off the island."

With that, he boarded the ship. Toadette exchanged a disappointed and dejected look with her party members.


	25. Sandy Wings

Chapter 25 Sandy Wings

If Toadette hadn't been feeling horrible before, she was definitely feeling that way now. This was just ridiculous. Actually, this was worse than ridiculous; it was downright cruel and uncalled for.

"I can't believe a company can have a rule like that," she said out loud.

"Apparently, they can," Bank replied.

"And they aren't the only ones," said Sunny. "Before I started living in Duneshine, I went to a restaurant in World 5. None of the people who operated it allowed me to come in."

Toadette shook her head.

"Unbelievable, just unbelieveable. I thought that Toads were supposed to be the 'good' race. But it seems that I was wrong."

Sunny laughed.

"There is no such thing as a 'good' race, Toadette. There are both good people and bad people from all races. But that doesn't mean that any race is automatically better." Sunny sighed. "I just wish that other people would realize that."

Toadette patted Sunny on the back. The way that he spoke was just heartbreaking.

"Well, it looks like people aren't going to realize it soon enough," said Bank grumpily. "And because of that, we're pretty much stuck on this blasted island."

Sunny's face contorted into a sympathetic, brave expression.

"Why don't you guys take the boat to World 2. I'll stay here."

Toadette shook her head

"We can't do that."

"Why not?" asked Sunny. "You guys have an important mission to take care of. I don't mind staying here as long as you two rescue the rest of the Brigade."

Toadette shook her head.

"Sunny, that is out of the question. We are not leaving you here, with all the people who hate you. Sooner or later, one way or the other, we will make sure that you get off the island with us."

At first, as Toadette said that, Bank looked a little grumpy. However, at the end of her speech, he started to look determined.

"She's right," he said. "Either we leave together, or not at all."

Sunny slowly started to smile.

"Thanks you guys."

He opened up his arms, giving Toadette the option to embrace him. The pink capped Toad girl didn't even hesitate. She wrapped her arms around the Dragon Koopa and held on tightly. It felt weird hugging Sunny, as his shell was in the way. Fortunately, it wasn't too big of a problem; just a minor nuisance.

"So," Bank said as Toadette let go of Sunny. "One of our options with getting off the island got shut down. How are we going to get off of it now."

Toadette was about to respond when a shadow passed over the land. She looked up and gasped along with Bank and Sunny. A beautiful, majestic sand bird was flying over the land. It was huge; its wings alone seemed to cast the entire island into darkness. Every time it flapped those magnificent wings, a trail of sand seemed to be left in its wake. Toadette kept staring at the rare creature as it disappeared behind Corona Mountain. She turned to Bank and Sunny. Both of them were grinning. Toadette started to do the same thing.

"Are you guys thinking what I am thinking?" she asked.

Bank and Sunny nodded excitedly. Toadette smiled.

"Then let's go find that sand bird!"


	26. Wise Old Bird

Chapter 26 Wise Old Bird

Together, the three explorers made their way across the island. They made sure to stay away from the towns for fear of getting Sunny severely hurt. So, they stuck many to the grassy plains. This helped the walking to be peaceful rather than anxiety inducing.

Bank was the one leading the way. Toadette admired how brave he seemed to be, how he wasn't letting anything stop the trek. And not only did he seem brave, he also seemed excited. Toadette didn't blame him for this either. She too was excited. She wanted to find the sand bird.

Speaking of which, the sand bird was now visible from where the party stood. It was resting just on a hill behind the infamous Corona Mountain. It was picking at its feathers, trying to get them clean. Toadette smirked when she realized that it would be nearly impossible for that to happen, as its wings were literally made out of sand.

Oh well. The party wasn't here to criticize the old bird. They were here to get help from it. So, Bank, Sunny, and Toadette approached the sand bird. They made sure to step with a sort of reverence.

"Excuse me? Mr. Sand Bird?" Sunny said.

The sand bird looked down at the three explorers.

"That would be Mrs. Sand Bird to you."

Toadette nearly reeled back in shock.

"You can talk? I didn't know sand birds can talk!"

The sand bird snickered.

"Of course we can talk, dear. How else would we communicate, by chirping?"

Toadette stared at the beautiful sand bird. She was in such a state of awe that she was practically mute. Bank, however, was not. He stepped toward the majestic bird with a sort of pleading, desperate expression.

"Mrs. Sand Bird, we need your help. Do you think it is at all possible that you can take us to World 2?"

"World 2?" The sand bird asked. "Why would you three want to go to World 2?"

"Because our friends have gotten captured there," said Bank. Even the tone of his voice sounded desperate now. "They encountered a Dragon there who took them away."

The eyes of the sand bird grew wide with fear.

"A dragon?"

"I'm afraid so."

The sand bird flapped her wings, sending sandy gusts of wind blowing toward the party. Toadette had to hold onto the ground with all of her strength in order to prevent herself getting blown away.

"You three must be crazy! Don't you know that dragons are our natural predators?"

Bank gulped.

"Yes, we are aware..."

"If I were to make my way to World 2, that dragon would surely kill me! I can't go there! Never!"

Bank's face fell, and Toadette's heart sank.

"Okay," Bank said in forlorn way. "Well, thank you. Sorry for wasting your time."

Bank started to walk away. Toadette felt both pity and determination fill her soul when she saw the defeated expression on his face.

"Well, looks like we aren't leaving the island," Bank said.

"Think again," said Toadette. She marched toward the magical bird, dominating an authoritative expression as she did so.

"Mrs. Sand Bird, I don't think you understand. We have no other way off the island. And if we don't leave soon, we have no idea what could happen to our friends!"

The bird looked at Toadette in pity.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, sweetie, but it is completely possible that the Dragon has already killed your friends."

Toadette felt furious at even the suggestion.

"THEY ARE NOT DEAD!" she cried. Sunny came up and put his hand on her arm.

"Toadette..."

"I don't care what anyone says. That dragon did not kill my friends. I know they are alive, that's why I need to get there as quickly as possible!"

The sand bird looked at Toadette, both with pity and with anger.

"World 2 is a dangerous, treacherous place for a sand bird, little missy. I should know. One of my cousins used to live there."

Sunny looked at the sand bird in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes." A sadness made the eyes of the bird shine. "I lost my cousin to a Dragon. That is why I will never go there ever again."

Toadette started to feel pity for the bird. Sunny, however, looked like he was contemplating something.

"This cousin of yours. Did they happen to lay eggs?"

The sand bird nodded.

"Yes. She laid eggs just a week before she was killed."

Suddenly, Toadette saw the sand bird from a whole different angle. She took a step forward.

"Our friends," she said. "Before we got separated, we were all going on a search for some sand bird eggs."

The eyes of Mrs. Sand Bird grew wide.

"Really?"

"Yes. We found them in the mountains."

Mrs. Sand Bird squawked.

"That's where my cousin laid her eggs!" She leaned down so that she was at Toadette's eye level. "Child, do you know what happened to them?"

Toadette exchanged a look with Sunny and Bank.

"The dragon captured them along with our friends," she finally said.

Mrs. Sand Bird looked distraught by this news.

"We believe," Sunny said. "That if we manage to get to World 2, we just might be able to save them. But the problem is, no one on this island trusts a Dragon koopa like me."

Mrs. Sand Bird thought about this before reorienting herself.

"Hop on my back. I'm taking you to World 2."

Toadette's heart soared.

"Really?" Bank said in shocked excitement. Mrs. Sand Bird nodded.

"Yes. I won't sit back and let my cousin's eggs get eaten."

Toadette, Sunny, and Bank hopped onto the back of Mrs. Sand Bird. Sunny patted her on the head.

"Thank you very much."

Mrs. Sand Bird smiled.

"It's the least I can do." She spread her wings. "Now, hold on tight!"

With that, the four of them ascended into the air.


	27. A Sandy Flight

**AN: Hey, everyone! I hope you are excited, because we are finally approaching the climax! Yeah!**

Chapter 27 A Sandy Flight

The ocean stretched on for miles and miles, as far as Toadette's eyes could possibly see. It was the color of the sky, and Mrs. Sand Bird's reflection could be seen in it. It was kind of disorienting, as it made Toadette feel like she was surrounded by sky on both sides. She hoped that the party would find land soon.

Bank and Sunny were just sitting on the sand bird's back, not making conversation. Toadette didn't feel comfortable with the silence. She was in the mood to talk, and when she was in the mood to talk, boy could she talk! She turned to Sunny, a smile spreading like wildfire across her pretty little face.

"So, Sunny," she said. "What do you see yourself doing once all of this is over?:

Sunny smiled back.

"Oh, that's easy. I am going back to Duneshine. I am going to enjoy my life there for the rest of eternity."

Toadette grinned.

"That sounds like a good plan."

"Yeah," Bank said as he walked over to the Dragon koopa. "And we will definitely visit you from time to time."

Sunny looked surprised, and Toadette shared in that surprise. Was this really Bank who had just said that? The Bank who hated Dragon Koopas with a passion? Before Toadette could voice a question to her green capped colleague, Mrs. Sand Bird spoke up.

"I see land up ahead, my dears. We are almost there."

Toadette grinned.

"That's awesome! I'm so glad!"

Bank smiled at the way Toadette had said that. Toadette looked back at him.

"What are you so happy about?" she asked with a grin.

Bank shrugged, the smile stubbornly refusing to fall from his face.

"I don't know. Am I not allowed to be happy?"

Toadette snickered. That was such a weird question to hear escape from the mouth of her grouchy friend, Bank.

Within minutes, the party was flying over a sea of golden sand. Mrs. Sand Bird cast a ginormous shadow over the land with her amazing wings. Toadette, however, barely noticed it. She was far too excited to finally rescue her friends. She couldn't even imagine how terrified they must be at this moment.

"Hey, Toadette?"

Toadette turned to Bank. She was puzzled when she saw that he had a sort of shy expression on his face.

"Yes, Bank?"

Bank hesitated, tripping over his words when he finally spoke them.

"There's...there's something I need to tell you."

Toadette smiled.

"Okay." Together, the two of them moved to the back of Mrs. Sand Bird's body. Sunny, realizing that Bank was going to say something important, moved up to the head. Once the two Toads were situated, Bank let out a sigh.

"Toadette, I promise you. When we go up against the dragon, I will do everything and anything in my power to protect you."

Toadette's smile got even bigger.

"Thank you, Bank. You must think I'm a good friend."

Bank shook his head.

"No, it's not that. You see...I've developed feelings for you."

Toadette was shocked. Her eyes grew wider than the Mushroom moon, her heart fluttered in her ribcage.

"You have?"

Bank nodded. He cast a sweet smile in Toadette's direction.

"Yes. I have."

Toadette blushed a scarlet complexion.

"Since when?" were the first words that came out of her mouth. Bank laughed.

"Pretty much ever since you defeated Brighton the angry sun. I thought that was amazing of you. It was very admirable; no girl I've met has acted even half as brave."

Toadette remembered the compliments Bank had given her then, and her blushing complexion became even darker.

"Bank...I don't know what to say."

Bank laughed, although there was a bit of fear attached to it.

"Yeah, I get it. You probably don't want to date a cranky old curmudgeon like me. I get it."

"No, no, that's it!" Toadette said. "I just find what you said very sweet. And if you want to try your hand at a relationship, then I am all for it."

Bank perked up.

"Really!"

"Yeah!" Toadette said. "Although be warned; I've never actually been in a romantic relationship before."

Bank's smile grew bigger.

"Want to know a secret?" He leaned in close and whispered; "Neither have I."

Toadette smiled.

"Well, then, it will be a learning experience for both of us!"

Bank nodded.

"I suppose it will."

Before Toadette could say anything more, Sunny approached them.

"Guys, I hate to interrupt. But we are approaching the dragon's lair."

Bank and Toadette looked ahead. They could see a humongous volcano approaching. It was big and looming; a perfect home for a Dragon. Bank turned to Toadette.

"You ready for this?"

Toadette smiled back at him in the most triumphant of ways.

"I was born ready!"


	28. Sandfire

Chapter 28 Sandfire

The mouth of the volcano. It could safely be said that it was the most dangerous place in the Mushroom World. Toadette gripped Mrs. Sand Bird's neck firmly, preparing herself for the dive into the Dragon's lair. She looked over at Bank, who flashed her a brave smile. Toadette felt her own confidence flare up. Anyone with half a brain could tell that Bank was scared out of his mind. However, he was going out of his way to be brave for her. He was going out of his way to make her feel secure. Toadette would not take this gift for granted.

Orange lava bubbled and boiled. Toadette felt shudders run down her spine as she saw a lava bubble reach its breaking point. As it popped, lava spewed everywhere, drenching the place in molten rock. Toadette heard Mrs. Sand Bird screech as her belly got burned. She sympathetically stroked her head.

"It's going to be okay," she said.

"Well, for the sake of all of us, I hope that you are right."

Toadette flet her stomach drop at Mrs. Sand Bird's lack of confidence. It was heart breaking, when she took the time to think about it. Mrs. Sand Bird had already been through so much, losing her cousin and all. She was, without a doubt, terrified. The burn Mark's on her chest were probably foreshadowing for what was to come. Toadette patted her on the head, making sure to be as gentle as possible.

"You cling onto that hope. There is always a reason to be hopeful. Those who are hopeful will never be put to shame."

Mrs. Sand Bird smiled at Toadette. It was an odd sight to be sure. In fact, it was enough to convince Toadette that birds were not designed to smile. Nevertheless, she appreciated the gesture.

"Thank you, young lady. You certainly know how to be encouraging."

Bank came up and put his hand on her shoulder.

"That's what we all love about her."

Toadette laughed.

"You mean what you love about me."

Bank smiled smugly.

"You say here, I say there. What's the difference?"

Toadette laughed. She then saw Sunny come up to them. The golden haired Dragon Koopa looked scared for sure, but he also looked determined.

"Guys," he said. "I just wanted to say that, if we don't get out of this on the other side, you have been amazing. You saved my life, even." Sunny chuckled as he directed his eyes down toward his foot. "I wish there was a way that I could repay you in a greater way than just a plain thank you."

Toadette smiled.

"No, don't worry, Sunny. It's perfectly fine. You were amazing as well."

"Yeah," said Bank. "You are without a doubt the least awful Dragon koopa I've met."

Sunny snorted back a laugh.

"Thanks a lot, Bank," he said with a caustic tone.

"Anytime, bud."

Toadette shook her head. How could Bank be this way? After all they had been through together, how could Bank still say stuff like that about Sunny? It was not only mean spirited, but it was downright awful! Toadette was about to comment about this when Bank spoke up again.

"You know I'm joking, right Sunny?" he said. "I think that you are pretty awesome. It doesn't matter whether you are a Dragon Koopa, a human, or a Toad. You still leave a good, strong impression."

Sunny smiled.

"Thanks, Bank."

Bank smiled back, and Toadette sighed in relief. Bank seemed to have changed after all. This was excellent. Toadette felt a glimmer of love enter her heart. It was subtle, but it was most definitely there. Bank was just something else entirely. She liked that.

Anyway, Mrs. Sand Bird flew through a tunnel. Her wings nearly brushed up against the sides. When she got to the other side, Toadette was amazed to see a nest of some sorts. It appeared to be made out of blackened straw. But the nest by itself was not what caught Toadette's attention the most. What did that was the fact that there was a cage in the nest. And in that cage were the rest of the Brigade.

"Bank, Sunny, look!" Toadette said as she pointed ahead. Bank looked forward and looked overjoyed to see his colleagues. Sunny also adorned a smile.

"Guys!" Bank called out, waving his hand around like a wind sock.

Mrs. Sand Bird landed right in front of the cage. Everyone dismounted and ran over to the Brigade. Toadette was relieved to see that not only were all of them alive, but they were also happy to see them. Toadette also noticed that there was a chest board of sorts made out of rocks.

"Toadette! Bank! Sunny!" Captain exclaimed. "Thank goodness you came!"

"Yeah!" Mail said. "Our chest matches with Blue were starting to get really boring; he kept winning!"

Toadette smiled. They were all exactly the same. Toadette could not remember a time where she was this happy to see her friends. She wanted to hug them, hold onto them for the rest of eternity. In fact, when Sunny opened the lock with his claw, that was exactly what Toadette did. She held onto Mail and Blue like they were a long lost part of her. She also noticed that Bank was holding onto his twin, Yellow.

"I missed you, buddy," Bank said.

"Oh, I missed you too!" exclaimed Yellow. He let Bank go and laughed. "Is it just me, or have you gotten fatter?"

Bank snorted.

"Please. If there is anybody who has gotten fatter it is you. You've been sitting around in a cage for the past few days without anyway of moving around!"

"Hey! You know that stir craziness burns calories, right!"

Bank laughed.

"Sure. You keep telling yourself that, buddy."

Everyone laughed. Then Sunny turned toward Captain.

"Do you have the sand bird eggs?"

Captain smiled and ducked behind the nest. He came back out with all of the eggs cradled in his hands. Mrs. Sand Bird let out a gasp.

"Oh my stars!"

Toadette realized that this wa probably a big moment for her. Without a doubt, Mrs. Sand Bird probably thought that these eggs were long gone. Seeing them again...Toadette couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of joy she was experiencing. Blue looked up at her in astonishment.

"Amazing!" he said in awe. "An actual sand bird! One of the last twenty in existence!" He bowed before her. "It is a pleasure to meet you!"

"No please, the pleasure is mine," said Mrs. Sand Bird. "All of you did your best to keep my cousin's eggs safe. I thank you for that."

Blue blushed, as did the rest of the captured Brigade.

"Well," said Captain. "I say we take these eggs and get out of here!"

"Not so fast!"

Toadette froze. She knew that voice. The voice of a thousandthunder cracks, the voice of evil and death. She turned around and spotted the dragon sneering down at them.

"If you wish to leave," he said. "You'll have to go through me!",


	29. Dragon Breath

Chapter 29 Dragon Breath

Toadette stared at the Dragon. It's black and red scales were shining in the light emanating from the lava. His fierce yellow eyes were squinting at the Brigade. Toadette also noticed that his mouth was drooling. Disgusting, goopy saliva slid like a snake down the left hand side of his mouth, landing in the lava with a sizzle. Toadette swallowed a lump forming in her throat.

"Those eggs are mine," the dragon growled. He sounded like a cat, hissing at an enemy that it felt would cause it harm. Although, in reality, the dragon was much more likely to cause harm to them than they were to him.

For once, Toadette began to understand why Toads were seen as cowardly. Mind you, it was a stereotype that she had despised for most of her life. She had made a vow to herself when she was a child that she would do her best to be brave, to be fearless. But now, that vow just seemed like a childish dream, something that a little kid would do when they were playing pretend.

Toadette exchanged a look with Captain. He was shaking in his shoes, staring at the Dragon while little whimpers escaped from his mouth. Mail, Blue, and Yellow were also in a similar state. They were clinging to each other, like getting in a huddle would provide them with the comfort that no one else could. Toadette had the strongest desire to get in the huddle with them.

"If you think," the dragon continued, "that you are walking out of here with those sand bird eggs, then you are sorely mistaken. As a matter of fact..." the dragon cackled. "You are probably the stupidest bunch of Toads that I have ever met. And I have met a lot of Toads. There fear was absolutely adorable. Before I roasted them alive that is."

Toadette noticed that purple fire was starting to vent out of the corners of the dragon's mouth. The Mushroom girl's eyes grew wide as her heart stopped.

"Goodbye. And good riddance," the dragon said.

The dragon took in a deep breath and moved its neck forward intensely. Purple fire came spewing out of its mouth. It was beautiful, yet absolutely horrifying. The fire seemed to be crackling, almost as if it was in the mood to eat. Toadette could feel its heat as it came closer to her and the Brigade. She saw Bank step in front of her, his arms outstretched.

"Bank, no!" Toadette cried.

"Toadette, it's okay."

Toadette's mouth hung open. Bank's back was reflected in her eyes. She wanted to get up, to push him out of the way. But she couldn't. She just could not move. A tear fell down her cheek. She braced herself to get toasted.

But it did not happen. As a matter of fact, the light of the fire seemed to have gone out. She opened her eyes and saw that Mrs. Sand Bird had gotten in front of Bank. She was using her wings as a shield, blocking the fire from marching forward. The dragon reeled back.

"What is this!?" he cried.

Mrs. Sand Bird spread out her glorious wings. Toadette felt a pang of pity when she saw that the front of both of the wings were black and smoky. Nevertheless, Mrs. Sand Bird didn't seem to care. She stared at the Dragon with a heated glare.

"If you so much as let one ember Singe the tops of their heads," she said intensely. "You are in for a humongous wake up call."

The dragon looked at Mrs. Sand Bird in shock.

"What in the world is a sand bird doing in my lair?"

Mrs. Sand Bird grinned.

"I am here to help my friends. And avenge my cousin."

With that, Mrs. Sand Bird dove toward the dragon. She hit him like a torpedo, slike an arrow aimed at his chest. The dragon pushed her off before he could be dunked in the simmering lava. He breathed in, and fire came spewing out of his mouth. Mrs. Sand Bird flew out of the way just in the nick of time and sent a gust of wind sailing toward the Dragon. The dragon struggled to stay in his position. Mrs. Sand Bird, with a smile, sent another large gust at him, pinning him against the wall. She went over to him, but the dragon clawed her in the face.

"No!" Toadette cried as Mrs. Sand Bird howled in pain. The dragon grabbed hold of her neck, starting to squeeze and choke her.

"As soon as you are dead," the dragon snarled. "I will have a feast of both fried sand bird and fried eggs!"

Toadette felt hot tears start to form in her eyes. Never before had she felt so helpless. She had no idea what to do. None of the Brigade seemed to have the slightest inkling of what to do. Thankfully...

"Guys!" Sunny said as he picked up a piece of brimstone off the floor. "We need to get the dragon's wings!

Toadette realized that Sunny was right. Her tears disintegrated as a smile befell her lips.

"Good idea, Sunny!" She picked up a piece of Brimstone, and the other Bridage members did the same. Captain even pulled some sharp tools out of his backpack, a grin on his face.

"Come on, Brigade! Onward!"

With that, Toadette ran with Sunny and the Brigade over to the ledge overlooking the dragon and Mrs. Sand Bird. Toadette started hurling the rocks at his wings. It was extremely satisfying to hear the wings of the great beast rip and tear. However, the dragon looked at them with a snarl and swung his tail. He sent most of the Brigade flying over to the other side of the volcano. Mail and Yellow almost fell in, having to hang onto the ledge for dear life.

Toadette looked up at the Dragon as it loomed over her. She saw it turn its head from left to right. Its eyes then locked onto Bank, who was all out of rocks. He grinned wickedly.

"Perfect."

The dtagon breathed in, and Toadette could see that fire was starting to escape. She looked at the Dragon. Then she looked at Bank, cowering in fear. In that instant, she didn't feel afraid anymore. She rushed forward with a piece of very large brimstone in her hand. She stepped right in front of Bank and flung the rock into the dragon's mouth.

What happened next was astounding. The dragon put his hand to his throat, choking and gagging. Then, Toadette saw that his wings were starting to catch on fire. Purple fire. His entire body also seemed to be burning and shriveling up. The dragon examined himself in horror. He tried bashing his body against the wall, trying to extinguish the flame. However, his efforts were entirely in vain. By the time he was done, his wings were pretty much gone. He fell into the lava, his body being consumed by flames of orange and violet.

Once he was gone, Toadette could breath again. She looked over at Bank.

"Are you alright?"

Bank smiled.

"Never better."

He gave Toadette a hug and kissed her on the cheek. Toadette felt her skin grow warm, particularly where his lips had made contact. She turned to the rest of the Brigade with a smile.

"Woah ho," Sunny said. "So I guess its official!"

Toadette nodded and kissed Bank right back. Bank blushed crimson as Toadette turned back to the shocked Brigade.

"Come on guys," she said proudly. "Let's get the eggs out of here."

**AN: Don't go away! There is one more chapter after this, so stay tuned! :)**


	30. New Found Sanctuary

Chapter 30 New Found Sanctuary

Toadette breathed in the fresh air of the Mushroom Kingdom. It smelt of peace, of nostalgia, and home. It was absolutely amazing, for Toadette hadn't tasted its beauty in so long.

Right now, she was tending to her garden. The young, ripe tomato plants and the blossoming flowers craved attention. Toadette was more than willing to give it. While the adventure she had gone on with the Brigade was fun, it had separated her from the everyday activities that she enjoyed in her home. Sure, she had grown bored of them in the past. But now, they were exactly what she needed to help herslef relax.

"Hey, Toadette!"

Toadette looked up and smiled. It was Bank. Bank entered through the garden gate, smiling like a bandit. He examined Toadette, her dirt covered tunic and her dangling pigtails. Toadette embarrassedly wiped the dirt off of her shirt.

"Hey, Bank. I had not been expecting you to visit today."

"I hadn't been expectin to, either." Bank's smile grew like one of Toadette's tomato plants. "However, there is something that I think you might enjoy seeing."

Toadette felt her heart start to pump in a fluttery motion.

"Ooh," she gushed. "Color me interested!"

Bank laughed, a genuine and friendly sound. Toadette felt her cheeks grow hot just listening to it. She wished that she could hold onto the laugh, fold it up and stick it in her pocket for a harder time.

"Oh, trust me. You will find this interesting." He grabbed hold of Toadette's hand. Her dirt covered, grimy hand. Toadette tried to pull away, but couldn't.

"Wait, Bank! Don't you think I need to wash up and change first?"

"There's no time!" Bank protested. "I have been wanting to show you this for the past week! Now that it is finally finished, I just can't wait any longer! Now come on, Toadette, let's go!"

Toadette was about to let out a huffy breath, but thought better of it. She let Bank lead her down the front path. As he did, Toadette couldn't help but notice Bank's appearance. He appeared to have washed his face, and his green mushroom cap glistened in the sunlight. Toadette smiled. In actuality, Bank had probably done that for her. It was sweet.

Anyway, the two Toads walked down the path. Toadette began to wonder where exactly they were going. They weren't taking any paths that were familiar to the Mushroom girl. In fact, all the twists and turns were making her disoriented.

"Bank, where are we going?"

"Can't tell you. It's a surprise."

This only made Toadette's anticipation build. What was this surprise? Where were they heading? This wasn't going to end badly, was it? Bank continued to lead Toadette along the path, practically pulling her arm out in the process. Finally, he did something that Toadette had not expected.

"Close your eyes."

Toadette felt confused.

"Why do you want me to do that?"

"Just trust me."

So, Toadette,.deciding that Bank was someone worth trusting, let her eyelids cover her. The darkness that surrounded her was nerve racking. She had never been someone that appreciated walking with their eyes closed. She always felt that there would be someone lurking around her, ready to kidnap her and drag her away. But then again, Bank would never do anything to harm her. He couldn't. He loved her.

"Okay," Bank said after they had taken a few more steps. Toadette could practically hear him smiling. "Open your eyes...now!"

Toadette did just that. When her eye were opened, she let out an excited gasp.

"The sanctuary is finished?"

The fenced in area that the Toad Brigade had dedicated to the sand birds was absolutely gorgeous. There was a ginormous food dispenser, ready to give the sand birds an assortment of fruit. There was a pond and a bird bath, both as crystal clear as they could possibly be. There was also a gigantic wooden bird house nestled on the ground.

"Yep!" Bank exclaimed. "What do you think?"

"It's...it's beautiful!"

Bank's eyes twinkled.

"And that's not all. There is something else that I want to show you."

Bank took hold of Toadette's hand again, causing her to laugh.

"You just like dragging me away everywhere, don't you, mister?"

Bank didn't confirm it, but he didn't deny it either. He just continued leading his girlfriend along, not stopping for anyone or anything. Finally, they stopped in front of a bench. Bank gestured to her in excitement.

"Well, what do you think?"

Toadette raised an eyebrow and snickered.

"Wow. A bench. Haven't seen one of those before."

"No, not the bench," Bank said. "Look at what is written on the plaque."

Toadette did just that, and her heart melted into bliss pretty much immediately.

_This sanctuary is dedicated to Toadette, a beautiful and cheery girl who brightens the lives of everyone around her. Thank you for going on the adventure with us; we couldn't have recovered the sand bird eggs without you._

Toadette looked over at Bank, who was smiling like a little kid at Christmas.

"Did you write that?"

Bank nodded at a quick pace. Toadette looked at him, feeling happiness and love wash over her heart.

"Bank...thank you."

Bank smiled.

"Anyhting for you, Toadette. Anything for you."

With that, Toadette and Bank shared a kiss. When they let go of each other, Bank looked her in the eyes.

"I love you."

Toadette felt like her heart would burst with all of this love.

"I live you too."

**AN: YAY! It is FINALLY finished! Thirty chapters. Thirty...flipping...chapters! I was not expecting it to be this long, but I am glad it is. Somehow, I don't think it would be as good if it was shorter.**

**Thank you so much to everyone for reading this. You all are awesome and I appreciate the support. Also, I would like to give a big shoutout to PinkRose0106. This wa originally written as a birthday present for her. Rose, I sincerely hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did.**

**Well, anyway, see you all next time. Stay safe and stay awesome :)**


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